


Force of Nature

by enigmaticblue



Series: Everything But the Truth [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s02e14 Love in the Time of Hydra, Inhumans (Marvel), M/M, SHIELD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:48:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5058079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who better to teach Skye control than another force of nature?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Force of Nature

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Art for enigmaticblue's Force of Nature](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5010262) by [taibhrigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taibhrigh/pseuds/taibhrigh). 



> Goes AU during “Love in the Time of Hydra,” and ignores a good part of Age of Ultron. Written for the 2015 Marvel Big Bang.

 

 

Skye hadn’t exactly been joking when she’d made the comment about Old Yeller. She knows how SHIELD normally deals with enhanced people, and while she doesn’t think Coulson will put a bullet in her brain, she’s not sure what he _will_ do.

 

Best-case scenario, Skye is looking at a relatively comfortable imprisonment for however long Coulson judges her to be a threat, which is probably forever.

 

She hadn’t wanted this, hadn’t wanted _any_ of this. All she’d wanted was to be part of SHIELD, part of a team, part of a _family_.

 

“Oh, hell,” Coulson mutters as he pulls up in front of a rather rustic cabin.

 

Skye feels alarm. “What? What’s wrong?”

 

“ _He’s_ here,” Coulson replies cryptically. “I’d forgotten they were a matched set these days.”

 

Skye has no idea what that means. “Who are you talking about?”

 

“You’ll see,” he says, putting the SUV in park.

 

A man comes out of the cabin, looking rumpled and wind-blown, wearing khaki pants and a blue plaid button down shirt. Skye doesn’t recognize him, but then another man steps out of the cabin, and Skye recognizes _him_ immediately.

 

She figures someone would have to be living under a rock not to recognize Tony Stark, which makes the other man’s identity a little easier to determine. Word on the street is that Dr. Bruce Banner had started working for Stark Industries after the Avengers’ big debut.

 

Skye feels the first stirrings of amusement. “Takes a force of nature to know one, huh?”

 

“If anybody can help you learn to control your powers, it’s Dr. Banner,” Coulson replies. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”

 

Skye climbs out of the passenger seat, feeling a flutter of nerves at the idea of meeting _Tony Stark_. Theoretically, she should probably be more worried about meeting the guy who turns into the Hulk, but Skye has been following Stark’s exploits since she was old enough to have a celebrity crush.

 

“Agent! You don’t call, you don’t write, you don’t even have the decency to let us know you’re alive,” Stark calls out. “Pepper is going to be _very_ disappointed in you.”

 

Coulson looks as sour as Skye has ever seen him look. “Dr. Banner, I thought you were coming alone.”

 

Banner shrugs unrepentantly. “I had to get here somehow.”

 

“You couldn’t have kept it quiet?” Coulson asks, still resolutely ignoring Stark.

 

Stark grins, but it’s all teeth. “Well, considering that you were asking my _boyfriend_ to take an extended leave of absence, no.”

 

Skye feels her eyebrows rise at that bit of information.

 

Coulson sighs. “Dr. Banner, Mr. Stark, this is Skye.”

 

Banner steps forward, his hand outstretched. “Skye, call me Bruce.”

 

Skye holds out a hand, still encased in the stabilizing gloves Simmons had come up with. “Sorry. I’d totally shake your hand, but mine are still kind of—broken.”

 

Banner grimaces sympathetically. “Ouch. Are you hungry? We already stocked up.”

 

“I brought supplies,” Coulson objects mildly.

 

“Then we’ll definitely have enough,” Bruce says with a smile. “By the way, the electric fence has already been disabled.”

 

Skye swallows hard even as Coulson makes a sound in protest. “I don’t think—”

 

“You were the one who entrusted Skye into my care,” Bruce says, his tone holding an edge that hadn’t been there before. “We do this my way, Agent Coulson. I’ve already agreed to help Skye, but I won’t be held prisoner, nor will I allow you to keep her here under duress. If you’re right about her, Skye will do the right thing.”

 

Skye has absolutely no idea what to do with that. She hates the idea that Coulson would have imprisoned her, but she can’t say she’s surprised. Ever since being exposed to the mist in the underground city, she’s felt as though she’s been caught in a whirlwind, completely unable to determine her own destiny.

 

Being here now, with a couple of Avengers, and with one of them protecting her, just highlights that fact.

 

“You should know better than to think I’m going to let Bruce get locked up anywhere, especially doing a favor for SHIELD,” Stark says. “Skye, hi, nice to meet you. Call me Tony.”

 

Skye manages a smile. “Hi.”

 

“We’ve got this,” Bruce says mildly. “We’ll keep in touch, as we agreed.”

 

“Skye…” Coulson trails off. He looks apologetic. “I’m sorry, but you need to learn control, and I thought—I think this is for the best.”

 

Skye shrugs. “It’s okay. I get it.”

 

And she _does_ get it; she’s just not sure she likes it.

 

Coulson nods. “I’ll just unload the car then.”

 

“I’ll help,” Stark says. “I want to have a word with you anyway.”

 

“Come inside, Skye,” Bruce says gently. “I’ll show you around, and we can talk.”

 

Skye glances at Coulson and sees from his expression that he’s shut down, and has shut her out. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Bruce puts a gentle hand on her shoulder to lead her inside. Other than Fitz, he’s the first person to touch her since her team found out she’d been changed. Skye tries not to let on to how much that means.

 

“What is this place?” she asks once inside.

 

“This is one of Fury’s hideouts,” Bruce explains. “Steve stayed here for a while, and um, I may have helped reinforce the place.”

 

She blinks, digesting that information. She’s somehow not surprised to find out that Bruce helped build the place, not if Coulson thought she’d be safe here. “Steve—you mean Captain America?”

 

Bruce laughs. “Yeah, but he prefers Steve, as you’ll probably find out when you meet him.”

 

“Wait, what?” Skye asks. “I’m going to meet him?”

 

“It’s likely,” Bruce replies. “Depending on how long you end up staying with us, and where you go once you have control, you may well end up at the Tower for a while.”

 

Skye swallows at the inadvertent reminder that she’s lost her team, and that it’s not looking hopeful she’ll get back on the team. “Yeah, I guess so.”

 

Bruce looks at her with a compassion that seems out of place, knowing what lurks under the surface. “I know it doesn’t make much difference, but I’m sorry for what happened. I won’t say that I understand, but I know what it’s like to change into something else, something that’s out of your control.”

 

Skye feels stricken, and the ground underneath their feet trembles slightly.

 

“It’s okay,” Bruce says quietly. “Tony has his armor here, and you _can’t_ hurt me. There isn’t anyone around for miles. That’s why we agreed to come here, rather than having Coulson bring you to us. You’re safe here, Skye. There’s no one here you can hurt.”

 

And for the first time since _it_ happened, Skye has a glimmer of hope.

 

 

Tony stares down Coulson, who eventually looks away. “I know Bruce told you that we’d help her on our terms.”

 

Coulson is motionless, as though willing himself not to respond in any way. “Technically, he said it would be on _his_ terms.”

 

“Same difference these days,” Tony replies. “I expected better of you.”

 

Coulson looks up, stung. “Excuse me?”

 

“Fury might have built a cage for Bruce, but he kept other people off his tail, and here you are, proposing to lock up one of your own,” Tony says coldly.

 

“I called Dr. Banner for help,” Coulson protests.

 

“And you would have locked them both in,” Tony responds. “Or you would have tried. You really should have known better. Bruce helped design this place.”

 

Coulson takes a deep breath. “It’s for Skye’s protection.”

 

“Skye’s protection or yours?” Tony demands. “I know what you told Bruce about her. You said she was a good kid, and a valued member of your team, that she’d already taken extreme measures to avoid hurting anybody.”

 

“She did,” Coulson replies, “but—”

 

Tony shakes his head. “Then I think you’d probably better trust us and her.”

 

“I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Coulson asks.

 

Tony shrugs. “No, not really.”

 

“I’d like to say goodbye,” Coulson replies.

 

Tony shrugs. “I’ll finish unloading for you.”

 

He notices that Coulson grabs a box to take inside with him and makes a mental note to check into it later. Right now, he trusts Coulson about as far as he can throw him. Tony understands the paranoia, and that Coulson feels embattled, but that kind of attitude can easily lead a person to act out of fear.

 

Plus, Tony suspects that Coulson doesn’t have the resources to spare to deal with Skye right now, or to wait for her to get control. Tony and Bruce do, and they can operate out of logic and take their time.

 

The earth trembles a bit under Tony’s feet, and he makes a mental note to handle Skye with caution, at least for right now.

 

Or maybe not. After all, he’d never treated Bruce with kid gloves.

 

“What side effects?” Skye is asking when Tony enters the cabin.

 

“Simmons can go over that with you later,” Coulson replies.

 

Tony snorts. “Yeah, no. We’ll test them ourselves, and if Skye needs extra assistance, we’ll make sure she has it.”

 

Coulson gives him a dirty look. “I’m _trying_ to help.”

 

Skye is hiding a smile.

 

“Try harder,” Tony advises. “Or better yet, get going and let us do our jobs.”

 

“It’s okay,” Skye says. “You’re leaving me in good hands, right?”

 

Coulson smiles. “I am.”

 

“Then no need to worry,” Skye says, with a smile that looks a little forced. “I’ll be fine.”

 

Coulson pulls her into a hug, and Tony can just make out his reply, “You’re going to be great.”

 

Skye pastes on a smile as Coulson leaves, and then she turns to face them. “So, how do we do this?”

 

“How long has it been since you ate?” Bruce asks.

 

Skye frowns. “What?”

 

“Bruce is a feeder,” Tony says. “He likes to feed people, and you’re people.”

 

Skye shrugs. “I haven’t been all that hungry.”

 

“First lesson in emotional regulation,” Bruce says, heading for the fridge. “Sufficient sleep and food will do a lot to help your emotional state.”

 

Skye smiles. “I guess the next thing you’re going to tell me is that I should take up meditation.”

 

“Meditation and yoga can help,” Bruce agrees. “It helped me, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to help you.”

 

Skye grimaces. “What if nothing helps? What if I never have control?”

 

Bruce pauses in his preparations. “I believe that you will find a way to control your powers, and I will do everything I can to help.”

 

Skye doesn’t appear convinced. “Thanks.”

 

“You don’t believe me,” Bruce states. “That’s fine.”

 

Skye shrugs. “No offense, but my entire team basically washed their hands of me. I’m having a hard time putting my faith in anybody right now.”

 

Tony hates to defend Coulson, but there’s something about Skye that reminds him of Bruce, and he’s hardwired to help Bruce at this point. “Coulson did call Bruce in to help,” he points out. “Maybe that’s the best thing he could have done for you.”

 

“Maybe,” Skye replies, sounding dubious.

 

Bruce’s lips quirk. “We’ll work on control, and the other stuff will come in time.”

 

“But can you really help me?” Skye asks, sounding despairing. “Or am I always going to be a freak?”

 

Tony wants to say something, but decides to wait and see what Bruce’s response will be.

 

“Will you always have this power?” Bruce asks. “From what Coulson said, I think that’s likely. Now, you could choose to use those gloves Coulson left, and you can try to rely on external methods of control, or you can find that control inside yourself. Only you can make that decision.”

 

Skye stares down at the table, and the ground shakes just a bit.

 

“Hey, why don’t I tell you about my AI?” Tony suggests. He knows how to distract Bruce from a Hulk-out, and while Skye isn’t a nuclear physicist, she is well versed in computers. AIs should be like catnip to her.

 

“Which AI?” Skye asks, and the ground stops shaking.

 

Bruce shoots him a grateful look, which Tony takes as permission to continue. “Jarvis, although I have several, and don’t tell Jarvis, but he’s my favorite.”

 

“I wouldn’t,” Skye replies with a smile. “Am I going to get to meet him?”

 

“Probably,” Tony says. “Bruce and I will work with you to get control, but the Tower has been reinforced for the Hulk, so you should be safe enough.”

 

“Somehow I’m not sure that’s the same thing,” Skye jokes.

 

Bruce smiles. “You’d be surprised. Okay, food first, then we can talk more.”

 

Tony watches as Bruce finishes putting together the sandwiches, his hands as graceful now as they are in the lab, sketching out equations. Coulson had provided both of them with a dossier, so they know Skye’s basic background information.

 

He remembers Bruce’s grimace as he read through the information. “So, she’s an orphan who thought she found a family only to have it ripped away from her,” had been his summation. “No wonder she’s having a tough time.”

 

It’s true that Tony could have let Bruce handle this on his own; Bruce is more than capable of dealing with a freaked out kid, and she certainly can’t hurt him. The truth is that Tony needs a change of scenery, and he’s hit a wall with Ultron. Plus, this thing with Bruce is relatively new, and he doesn’t want the time away to give Bruce the chance to change his mind.

 

Skye bites into the sandwich and makes an appreciative noise. “I didn’t even realize how hungry I was.”

 

Bruce smiles. “That will happen when your stomach is tied in knots. Ask Tony about shawarma.”

 

“Bruce ate more than Thor and Steve combined,” Tony confirms. “He says it was mostly because he was too nervous to eat on the helicarrier.”

 

Bruce raises an eyebrow. “Need I remind you that Fury had a special cage built just for me?”

 

“Why would he have built a cage?” Skye asks.

 

“Fear,” Bruce says succinctly. “The same fear that Coulson is battling right now. He could have left you here by yourself, but he called me. The one guy that it would literally take an army to take down.”

 

Skye brightens a bit at that. “I guess you have a point.”

 

“He usually does,” Tony says.

 

When Skye finishes her sandwich, Bruce asks, “How are you feeling right now?”

 

“Like there’s a buzzing inside me,” Skye replies, her hand over her abdomen. “And it’s there all the time.”

 

“That’s good,” Bruce replies, encouragingly. “If that feeling is there all the time, you can control it. I know that seems counterintuitive, but it will become part of you.”

 

Skye frowns. “Is that how it works for you?”

 

Bruce shrugs. “I’m always angry, and because that’s true, I had to learn how to deal with it. You feel that buzzing all the time, and you learn how to deal with that.”

 

“And how am I going to do that?” Skye asks skeptically.

 

Bruce smiles. “Oh, ye of little faith. Come on, let’s take this outside.”

 

Tony watches them leave, knowing that he doesn’t need to be there, and that he should probably check in with Pepper.

 

Once the door closes behind them, Tony calls Pepper using the secure line he’d installed as soon as they’d arrived. He’s got plenty of safeguards set up to ensure that SHIELD can’t hack it.

 

And, yes, Tony is well aware of what SHIELD is up to these days. He’s made it a priority to know after Rogers brought down the helicarriers and determined that Hydra had infiltrated the agency his father helped build.

 

Tony isn’t going to get involved. He likes Coulson better than Robert Gonzales, but he’s not going to get into the politics of running SHIELD. He’s got enough on his plate right now. If it looks like it’s going to cause a problem, he’ll sic Maria Hill on it.

 

“How’s it going?” Pepper asks. “Any earthquakes?”

 

“Some minor tremors,” Tony replies. “Bruce is with her now.”

 

Pepper smiles. “Well, if anyone can help someone get control, it would be Bruce.”

 

Tony’s just grateful that she and Bruce seem to be getting along fairly well. He’s never been in a situation where he wants an ex and a current lover to at least tolerate each other. The fact that they actually like each other is almost disconcerting.

 

“That’s what we’re hoping,” Tony agrees. “Can you believe they tried to lock Bruce in with her with a laser grid?”

 

“I’m sure you had something to say about that.” Pepper smiles.

 

Tony smirks. “Several things, actually. How are you?”

 

“I’m holding down the fort in your absence,” Pepper replies. “We’ve been telling people that you and Bruce are on vacation.”

 

“Does anybody actually believe that?” Tony asks with some amusement.

 

Pepper smirks. “A _science_ vacation. Everyone assumes that you’re planning on world domination, or changing transportation as we know it, or something equally revolutionary.”

 

Tony shrugs. “Well, if we’ve got our own earthquake machine, we might revolutionize something, particularly any kind of Avengers’ battles.”

 

“She’s a person, Tony, please remember that,” Pepper says severely.

 

“ _And_ a force of nature,” Tony points out. “Much like Bruce, and you know I don’t treat him any differently.”

 

Pepper rolls her eyes. “Fair point. You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

 

“Same goes for you,” Tony replies.

 

Pepper smirks. “Bruce is probably my first call, but I’ll consider it.”

 

Tony snorts. “Why is Bruce everybody’s favorite?”

 

“Maybe for the same reason that Bruce is your favorite?” Pepper suggests.

 

That’s a fair point. “I’m going to see how things are going. Talk to you later?”

 

“You’d better,” Pepper orders and ends the call.

 

And, okay, it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility that he and Bruce _could_ successfully plan world domination, but they wouldn’t.

 

No, they just want to keep the whole world safe.

 

Bruce sits down on the ground, waiting for Skye to join him. She grimaces as she settles on the ground. “Okay, this feels a little weird.”

 

Bruce offers a reassuring smile. “It will for a while. That’s okay. I want you to take a deep breath. Close your eyes if that helps.”

 

She closes her eyes and breathes in deeply. “You know, before this happened, I had total control. May was training me, and I was rock solid.”

 

“How did that feel?” Bruce asks. He has no idea how to help her, or how to reach her. He’s never been in this position before, but he wants to make her life a little easier. Tony and the rest of the team have been good to him, and Bruce feels the need to pay it forward.

 

Skye frowns. “I don’t know. Good. Like I was really good at something that mattered.”

 

That gives Bruce a place to start building a connection with her. Bruce thinks this is going to be a lot easier if she trusts him, and for that, he needs to give her something personal.

 

“Before my accident, I had what I thought was the perfect life,” Bruce says. “I had a great girlfriend I planned on marrying eventually, and a job that was supposed to make a difference in the world. I lost all of that in a heartbeat.”

 

“But you got it back,” Skye argues, her eyes opening. “You’re an Avenger, you’re dating Tony Stark—”

 

Bruce raises an eyebrow. “And I was on the run for years before SHIELD brought me in, and that changed.”

 

Skye swallows audibly. “So, what are you saying?”

 

“I’m saying that where you are now isn’t where you’ll end up,” Bruce replies. “And that what you’ve lost may result in finding something even better.”

 

The ground starts to tremble. “Yeah, maybe,” Skye replies, trying to sound tough. “What do I do?”

 

“Remember what it felt like to be rock solid,” Bruce advises, putting a hand on his stomach. “Feel that again, _here_.”

 

Skye closes her eyes and breathes out a long breath again. “Okay.”

 

“Everything vibrates at a molecular level,” Bruce says quietly. “Can you feel that in the ground underneath you?”

 

Skye frowns. “Um, yeah, maybe.”

 

“I want you to tap into it and cause the ground to shake,” Bruce says.

 

Skye grimaces. “Is that safe?”

 

Bruce looks around and sees that Tony is standing a few feet away, watching them. “Perfectly safe.”

 

Skye opens her eyes. “I can’t do this.”

 

“You’re scared to try,” Bruce counters. “Do it anyway. If you don’t learn how to control it, it will control you.”

 

Skye gives him a deeply skeptical look. “Are you my Yoda now?”

 

Bruce cracks a smile. “‘Do or do not. There is no try.’”

 

Skye laughs. “Yeah, yeah, I get it.”

 

She closes her eyes again, and a few seconds go by before the ground beneath them begins to shake. Not a lot, just a gentle tremor. Skye grins, looking relieved. “I did it.”

 

“That you did,” Bruce says. “Now, do it again.”

 

He works with her for the next hour, and by the end of that time, Skye is shaking the trees like the wind is shaking the leaves and branches, even though there isn’t a breath of air.

 

“Really well done,” Bruce praises her. “You’re picking this up quickly.”

 

Skye shrugs it off. “Yeah, but what happens the next time I freak out? I mean, it’s great to be able to shake some trees, but that doesn’t prevent me from hurting someone with this.”

 

“No, it doesn’t,” Bruce agrees. “There’s a chance you’ll never be completely safe; I’m not.”

 

Skye frowns. “But you fought off the aliens in the Battle of Manhattan. You took out a bunch of them, and everybody agrees that if the Hulk hadn’t been there, we might not have won.”

 

Bruce’s only response is to raise his eyebrows.

 

“Okay, you may have a point,” Skye replies wryly.

 

“Time for a break,” Tony announces. “You’ll get sunburned.”

 

Skye smiles. “I don’t really burn.”

 

“Using your powers is going to burn calories,” Tony says implacably. “You should see this guy eat after a transformation.”

 

“I don’t eat that much,” Bruce says, standing up and offering a hand to Skye to help her. “It usually takes a little time for my hunger to kick in.”

 

Tony snorts. “And when it does, you eat your weight in food, Big Guy.”

 

“True,” Bruce finally admits.

 

“I’ll even cook,” Tony offers.

 

Bruce laughs out loud at that. “You mean you’ll throw a couple of frozen pizzas in the oven.”

 

“It counts,” Tony protests.

 

Bruce sees Skye’s smile, and he figures Tony is being deliberately entertaining. The poor kid could use a little levity. And Tony has always been pretty good about taking people as they come.

 

They have a relaxed dinner, and Tony and Bruce talk about projects, roping Skye in on a discussion of programming. By the end of dinner, Skye is drooping visibly, and she finally says, “I’m sorry, guys. I’m about ready to crash.”

 

“Sleep well, Skye,” Bruce says.

 

“Thanks. You, too,” she replies.

 

When she’s been out of the room long enough to make it likely she’s asleep, Tony asks, “Well?”

 

“She’s going to have an easier time than I ever did,” Bruce admits quietly. “What happened to me was an accident, Tony, but we all know that enhanced people are different. They come by their gifts honestly.”

 

Tony grimaces. “It wasn’t your fault either.”

 

“It was my ego,” Bruce counters. “Using the serum on myself was a stupid move. I’m just saying that none of this is Skye’s fault, but the change she’s undergone is—I hesitate to say organic, but that’s about what it is.”

 

Tony frowns. “We’ve been talking about enhanced people for a while now. We both know SHIELD’s stance.”

 

“Which isn’t good,” Bruce responds. “How is indexing those with enhanced abilities any different than any other oppressive regime tracking those they deem a threat?”

 

“The difference is that they _are_ a threat,” Tony whispers heatedly.

 

“Like me,” Bruce says flatly.

 

Tony winces. “I’m not saying we build cages to put them in. SHIELD kept the Army off your tail.”

 

“And Fury built a cage just for me,” Bruce argues. “And Coulson delivered Skye here with every intention of keeping her locked up. Think about this for a minute. Do you really think SHIELD is going to change their MO in dealing with enhanced people? Or that it’s a good idea to alienate people with this kind of power?”

 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Tony says.

 

Bruce runs a hand through his hair. “The Other Guy is dangerous, and isn’t entirely under my control, no matter what you think. Enhanced people come by their abilities naturally, and I believe that for most of them, control can be taught, if it’s not instinctual. We don’t know how many there are, but if there are a hundred or a thousand, or ten thousand, and they have the power that Skye does, or that I do? What do you think they’re going to do if we try cataloging them?”

 

“I wouldn’t let anybody hurt you,” Tony protests.

 

“Nothing _can_ hurt me,” Bruce says. “The same can’t be said for Skye.”

 

Tony scrubs his face with his hands. “I thought we were staying out of SHIELD’s business.”

 

“Can we? Can we really?” Bruce asks wearily. “Coulson was willing to lock Skye up here, with me, and he _likes_ her. What is SHIELD going to do to the people they don’t care about, or who pose difficulties?”

 

“Don’t we have enough to do, dealing with Hydra?” Tony demands.

 

Bruce shrugs; he’s tired. They’ve been working almost non-stop since SHIELD fell, and he wouldn’t mind a breather. He certainly wouldn’t mind washing his hands of the rest of SHIELD, but he’s not sure that’s wise. “Maybe so, but I really think we need to make time for this, Tony.”

 

“Doesn’t leave us much time for Ultron,” Tony objects.

 

Bruce shakes his head. “I’m not opposed to the idea of Ultron, but I think this is bigger. Coulson pulled us into this fight, and I don’t think we can get out of it.”

 

“Ultron will solve this problem,” Tony argues.

 

“Will it?” Bruce counters. “What if Ultron decides that enhanced people are a threat? What if it decides I am?”

 

“It wouldn’t,” Tony objects.

 

Bruce shakes his head. “Maybe it should.”

 

“Can we not do this now?” Tony asks. “We agreed we were taking a break from Ultron to do this. It’s on hold.”

 

Bruce sighs. “You’re right. Skye made good progress today. Another week or two, and I think we could probably get out of here.”

 

“Time enough for us to plan world domination, I guess,” Tony jokes.

 

Bruce thinks about Ultron, and wonders if that’s just a little too close to the truth.

 

 

“That’s enough for now,” Bruce says after Skye has spent the morning testing the limits of her abilities. So far, it seems like she can make just about anything vibrate as long as she can see it. They’ve been here three days, and Skye is starting to believe that she might actually get control.

 

Skye blows her sweaty bangs out of her face. “Okay, now what?”

 

“Well, now Tony and I are going for a walk, and you can do whatever you’d like,” Bruce replies. “Relax, call your friends, take a nap. Enjoy the alone time.”

 

Skye smiles. “Is it that obvious?”

 

“The cabin really isn’t that big,” Bruce replies. “And Tony tends to take up a lot of space.”

 

She can’t help the laugh that escapes. “He really does.”

 

Bruce offers a crooked grin. “Take a load off, Skye. We’ll see you in a few hours.”

 

Skye figures that Bruce and Tony probably want some time alone, too, and she tries hard _not_ to think about what they might get up to in the surrounding woods.

 

Bruce and Tony have been great, though, and Bruce seems to know instinctively when to push her, and when to give her a break.

 

The quiet of the empty cabin is nice for the first hour or so. Skye takes a really long shower and washes her hair, spreading a towel over her shoulders to catch the dampness. The silence of the cabin starts to get to her after that, though. She hasn’t been alone like this in ages.

 

After some consideration, Skye decides to risk a call to her team. She’s not really looking forward to hearing about how she should use the gloves, and questions about whether she has things under control, and really awkward silences where there weren’t any before.

 

Jemma is the one to answer. “Skye! Hello!”

 

Skye smiles reflexively. “Hey, Jemma. How are things going?”

 

“Good,” Jemma replies, and there’s that awkward silence again. “How are you?”

 

Skye shrugs. “Making progress. I haven’t blown anything up, or made anything shake apart, so that’s good, right?”

 

There’s yet another awkward pause, and then, “So, what’s he like?” Jemma asks avidly.

 

“Who?” Skye asks. “Tony Stark?”

 

Jemma rolls her eyes. “No, Dr. Banner! His work in biochemistry and nuclear physics is unparalleled. I actually think I’m a little jealous.”

 

Skye grimaces. “What? Jealous of the powers that make me a total pariah?”

 

Jemma’s face falls. “You’re not a pariah.”

 

“Well, it sure feels like I’m in exile,” Skye mutters, and then sighs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. Bruce is really great.”

 

Jemma smiles brightly. “Have you tried the gloves yet?”

 

Skye glances at the box. “No, not yet. Bruce thinks I should try to get a handle on this thing before I try external methods of control.”

 

If Skye had said something like that, she knows she would have gotten a guilt trip. Since _Dr. Banner_ is the one making the recommendation, Jemma nods like it’s the word of God. “Well, he would know, wouldn’t he?” She lowers her voice. “I haven’t had the heart to tell Fitz that Tony Stark is there, too. You know he’d be clamoring to join you.”

 

Skye forces a smile. “Yeah, probably for the best that he’s not here.”

 

“That’s not what I meant,” Jemma protests.

 

Skye takes a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m just—not great company today. I’ve been working pretty hard.”

 

“Of course,” Jemma says graciously. “Well, I hope you get some rest. It’s probably just what the doctor ordered.”

 

“Almost literally,” Skye manages to joke, and then ends the transmission.

 

There’s a knock on the door, and Bruce pokes his head in. “Hey, we’re back. Are we clear to come in?”

 

“Yeah, thanks for giving some time,” Skye replies. “I called Jemma, but I didn’t really get a chance to ask her about side effects to the gloves.”

 

Bruce shrugs. “The gloves might be handy if you know you’re going to be in a high stress situation where you can’t risk a loss of control, mostly so you don’t have to hurt yourself or someone else. But out here? You don’t need them.”

 

Skye smiles. “Yeah. Thanks.” She pauses, and then risks confiding in him. “It was a little awkward. She was one of my best friends, and now I can barely talk to her.”

 

“Look,” Bruce says. “People are scared of what they can’t explain. Sometimes you run across people who aren’t intimidated and don’t care, who see you for everything you are.”

 

“Like Tony Stark?” Skye asks.

 

“And your friend Fitz,” Bruce counters.

 

Skye smiles, remembering how Fitz had protected her. “Yeah.”

 

“Dr. Simmons may come around, or she may not, but her reaction to you is not your problem,” Bruce says. “Now, come on. You’ve rested long enough. It’s time to get back to work.”

 

Skye appreciates the fact that Bruce won’t let her mope. He’s as no-nonsense as May, although he’s way more sympathetic. May had been kind too, after a fashion, but Bruce reminds her of Coulson—unfailingly decent, concerned for others’ wellbeing above his own, and with a core of steel hidden behind a genteel exterior.

 

Although, in Bruce’s case, it’s less a case of SHIELD training and more of a big green menace.

 

“We’re going to work on deflection,” Bruce says, holding up a plastic bag. “I’m going to throw ping pong balls at you, and you’re going to make sure they don’t hit you.”

 

Skye smirks. “You’re assuming that you _can_ hit me.”

 

Bruce chuckles. “Good to see your self-confidence remains strong. Get ready.”

 

Skye takes a breath and centers herself, feeling that fluttery feeling in her gut. “Ready.”

 

Bruce starts lobbing ping pong balls at her, and Skye is a little surprised to find that Bruce has really good aim. Getting hit doesn’t hurt, but each time she gets hit, it feels like a failure.

 

Skye repels one of the balls and actually knocks Bruce back a step.

 

“Good,” Bruce says. “This time, though, try to just repel the ball, and not me. You might need that kind of finesse in the field.”

 

“You’re assuming I’m going back in the field,” Skye replies, her conversation with Jemma still bugging her.

 

Bruce stops what he’s doing. “Let’s take a break.”

 

“I’m good!” Skye protests.

 

Bruce sets the bag down. “Try again. You’re still upset about the phone call.”

 

“Of course I’m upset!” Skye shouts. “I’m in exile here, I’m never going to be a SHIELD agent again, and my friends hate me!”

 

The ground shakes beneath her, but Bruce stands unmoved.

 

“I hate this!”

 

“You have every right to hate this,” Bruce replies calmly.

 

The ground shakes harder. “Why are you so calm?”

 

“It’s easy to keep your cool when you’re indestructible,” Bruce says. “Are you done?”

 

Skye is abruptly exhausted. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

 

Bruce sits down on the ground, and Skye can’t help the slightly hysterical thought that goes through her head, that Bruce looks like some kind of hippie yogi. “I’ve been waiting for that,” Bruce admits.

 

Skye sits down abruptly. “What?”

 

Bruce still maintains that maddening calm. “Do you know how many times I transformed the first year after my accident?”

 

“No idea,” Skye says honestly, knowing by now that Bruce is going somewhere with this.

 

“A lot,” Bruce replies. “At least once a month, sometimes more often. I was just so angry, and I kept trying to suppress it, and nothing worked.”

 

Skye has never been able to get much information on the Hulk, and she suspects that she’s hearing something that Bruce hasn’t told many people. “So, you had emotional outbursts, too.”

 

His smile is wry. “I had incidents where I destroyed buildings and alerted the Army as to where I was. _You_ have emotional outbursts.”

 

That startles a chuckle out of her. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be. That emotion had to go somewhere.”

 

Skye stretches out on the ground. “I know all the clichés. I know I need to take this one day at a time, and let the future take care of itself, but…”

 

“Would it help if I told you that you do have a place to go?” Bruce asks. “Once you get control, or once you have more control, you can come back to the Tower with us.”

 

Skye snorts. “No offense, but what would I do there?”

 

“Work on your computer skills, develop your control, do some physical training,” Bruce says. “Pretty much whatever you want.”

 

“It helps,” Skye admits.

 

Bruce smiles. “Good. I think we’re done for the day. Do you need us to go for another walk?”

 

“No, I think I’m just going to lie here for a while.”

 

Skye puts her hands behind her head and closes her eyes, feeling the vibrations of the earth beneath her. If she focuses, it’s a little like listening to a heartbeat.

 

 

Bruce returns from his training session looking weary and a little grim, which Tony knows isn’t his fault, since they’d both returned to the cabin completely relaxed.

 

Tony isn’t normally the type to go for a walk in the woods, but Bruce had insisted Skye needed time along, and there hadn’t been a good way for Tony to object.

 

“What happened?” Tony asks. “Where’s Skye?”

 

Bruce raises his eyebrows. “Why? Are you worried about her?”

 

“No, right now I’m worried about you,” Tony counters. “We go for a walk, we make out for an hour, you come back relaxed, and now you have _that_ face.”

 

Bruce slumps in a chair. “Am I doing the right thing, Tony?”

 

Tony closes his laptop, figuring that this conversation is going to take all of his concentration. “By coming here? By trying to help? I think you’re going to need a little more specific.”

 

“What made me think I could help her?” Bruce asks.

 

Tony blinks. “Uh, the part where you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster, and Skye can cause earthquakes?”

 

“She’s a scared kid,” Bruce objects. “And I have no idea what to say to make it better.”

 

“Newsflash, Banner, you can’t,” Tony replies, knowing that the words are harsh. “There is nothing you can say that’s going to make it better.”

 

Bruce scrubs his hands over his face. “Yeah.”

 

“What happened?” Tony asks gently.

 

“Nothing,” Bruce sighs. “Skye had that emotional outburst I’d been expecting. I talked her down, but she has no idea what the future holds, and it’s freaking her out. I don’t blame her.”

 

Tony gets up and pulls Bruce in close so his head rests on Tony’s stomach. “I think that’s why you’re absolutely the best person to help her.”

 

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” Bruce admits. “It’s mostly trial and error.”

 

“Seems to have worked pretty well so far,” Tony replies.

 

Bruce snorts. “You can say that after I did thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage?”

 

“Well, you seem to have figured out the trick at this point,” Tony says. “You going to be okay?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Bruce replies. “I’m just tired.”

 

“Take a nap,” Tony advises.

 

Bruce frowns. “I should do something about dinner.”

 

“Skye and I can handle it,” Tony replies. “Even if it’s just soup and sandwiches.”

 

Bruce rubs his forehead, and Tony suspects he’s working on a headache. “Yeah, thanks.”

 

Tony waits until Bruce is back in their bedroom before he heads out to find Skye. He hasn’t spoken to her much outside the first night they’d been at the cabin. Mostly, he’d let Bruce handle things, but he probably should have figured that they’re always better together.

 

There’s a spot a little ways from the cabin that Bruce and Skye have been using for their training sessions, and that’s where Tony goes first.

 

Skye is there, lying on her back with her hands behind her head. Tony sprawls on the ground next to her, propping his head up on one hand. He doesn’t say anything, just stares at her.

 

Her eyes doesn’t open when she says, “Are you just going to stare at me, or are you going to spit it out?”

 

“I didn’t surprise you, even a little bit?” Tony asks, feigning disappointment.

 

“I could feel you coming,” Skye says, and now her eyes open. “Bruce has been helping me with that.”

 

It’s the perfect segue, and Tony says, “You know, Bruce really likes you.”

 

Skye sits up, leaning back on her elbows. “Um, okay?”

 

“Not that he’s a misanthrope like yours truly, but he doesn’t warm up to people very quickly.” Tony gives her a hard look. “You, though, he likes.”

 

Skye regards him warily. “Is this where you threaten to kill me if I hurt him?”

 

“Not exactly,” Tony replies. “You may have figured this out already, but I’d do just about anything for Bruce.”

 

Skye nods. “Yeah, I got that.”

 

“So, Bruce likes you, and he wants to keep you safe,” Tony says. “Helping you makes Bruce happy. I just thought it might make a difference to know that you have me and my not inconsiderable resources at your back, too.”

 

Skye gives him a long look. “Does that mean, if Bruce is my Yoda, you’re my fairy godmother?”

 

Tony lets out a bark of laughter. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

 

Skye sits up and puts her arms around her legs. “Any reason you’re bringing this up now?”

 

“Bruce is worried that he’s fucking up.”

 

The blunt answer pulls an immediate response from Skye. “What? No! Other than May, he’s helped me the most.”

 

“Not that we’re the touchy-feely, sharing-caring sorts, but you might want to mention something to that effect,” Tony suggests.

 

Skye grimaces. “I’m not exactly used to having someone think they might be fucking up my training.”

 

“You’re not used to having special needs,” Tony replies. “Anybody can train a hacker, or a SHIELD agent. Some might be better than others, but no one has ever trained a force of nature before.”

 

Skye frowns. “Don’t you think there would be, though?”

 

“Would be what?”

 

“I’m not the only enhanced person out there, and we can’t all be supervillains,” Skye says. “Logic would dictate that there have to be more people out there like me, so maybe there’s training.”

 

“True,” Tony agrees. “It’s not beyond the realm of possibility, but I think you’re forgetting one thing.”

 

Skye raises her eyebrows. “What’s that?”

 

“We haven’t seen two enhanced people with the same abilities,” Tony replies. “Which means there’s still only one of you.”

 

Skye grimaces. “Funny, but being unique really isn’t making me feel that special. I’d rather be just like everybody else.”

 

Tony hitches a shoulder. “The burden of being a superhero, kid. You’re always alone—unless you can find a few other special snowflakes.”

 

Skye sighs, and then a faint smile forms. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Bruce wakes from his nap with a feeling of disorientation. He never sleeps during the day, but he’d been up half the night before working on a project for SI that was due. Tony has been able to use the time during the day when Bruce had been training with Skye; Bruce doesn’t have that luxury, and he still has obligations to fulfill.

 

He blinks up at the ceiling and then rolls his head to glance at the clock, which reads a little after seven.

 

“The hell?” Bruce mutters, surprised that Tony had let him sleep that long.

 

Bruce rolls out of bed and glances down at his clothing, knowing he looks even more rumpled than usual. His curiosity gets the better of him, and so he heads for the living area, stopping short when he sees Tony and Skye bent over a laptop.

 

“Oh, hey, Big Guy,” Tony says. “Soup’s still on the stove if you’re hungry.”

 

“What are you guys doing?” he asks. Tony and Skye haven’t spent much time together, and he’d been expecting to find Tony working and Skye—doing something else, if she wasn’t still out in the woods.

 

“Hacking,” Skye says. “I think I’ve been able to show Tony a thing or two.”

 

She sounds positively gleeful, and Bruce smiles in response.

 

“Hey, I have Jarvis to do my hacking,” Tony protests, but there’s a gleam in his eye that makes Bruce wonder if Tony hasn’t been humoring Skye. “And I tend not to go the direct route.”

 

“Not all of us have an open invitation to the heart of SHIELD,” Skye points out. “In fact, the last time I was in the Hub, I mostly got stuck in the lobby.”

 

Tony tugs on her ponytail. “That’s the benefit of not getting _caught_ hacking.”

 

Skye rolls her eyes. “Much easier to do when you’re a billionaire superhero in high demand at SHIELD.”

 

“Point,” Tony says.

 

Bruce is a little bemused by the banter between them, but decides to just let it go. If they’re getting along, all the better.

 

He dumps the rest of the soup into a bowl and sits down at the table to eat. Bruce _can_ code, but he’s nowhere close to Tony’s level, and Skye appears to be something of a genius in her own right.

 

For the moment, Bruce is content to watch them work while he eats his soup. “Okay, but how do you get past the firewall undetected?” Skye asks. “The rotating encryption—”

 

“If you have enough juice, you can break the encryption,” Tony replies. “But even then, it helps to have a bug on the inside.”

 

Skye rolls her eyes. “I get it! You have an all-access pass.”

 

“Not anymore,” Tony replies. “In case you haven’t figured it out, the Avengers are persona non grata with SHIELD these days. Something about Captain Tightpants taking down the organization.”

 

Skye giggles. “You watch _Firefly_?”

 

“Only because Bruce made me,” Tony replies.

 

“Hey, you said you liked it!” Bruce protests once he swallows his spoonful of soup.

 

“I did like it, if only because I got a brand new nickname for our illustrious leader that makes him go red in the face every time,” Tony replies.

 

Skye looks at Bruce. “Is he still pissed about _Serenity_?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Bruce replies.

 

Tony huffs. “Ignore him, Skye. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

 

Skye grins, and Bruce laughs, sharing her amusement. It’s the most relaxed they’ve been since getting here, and it feels good.

 

“Why don’t we watch a movie tonight?” Tony suggests. “ _Not_ _Serenity_.”

 

“Spoilsport,” Skye teases.

 

“Tell me you want to subject yourself to that again,” Tony counters.

 

Bruce shrugs. “Nope, not really. Once was enough.”

 

“I’ll see what I can find,” Tony says. “Preferences?”

 

“Action,” Skye says definitively. “No rom-coms.”

 

Tony mimes being stabbed. “Oh, ye of little faith. Do I _look_ like a fan of rom-coms?”

 

Skye looks him up and down. “Hard to say, really. Popular opinion is that you’re straight and dating Pepper Potts.”

 

Bruce snickers. “Action, and with a plot.”

 

“Aren’t the two mutually exclusive?” Tony gripes.

 

“You’re a genius,” Bruce says. “I’m sure you’ll manage it.”

 

Tony grumbles, but then says, “What about one of the Bourne movies?”

 

“Secret government agencies and amnesia?” Skye asks. “Isn’t that a little too on the nose?”

 

“Have you lost your memories?” Tony asks.

 

Skye shrugs. “Point.”

 

“Bourne it is,” Tony says.

 

They end up having a really pleasant evening, unmarred by anything relating to SHIELD, or Skye’s newfound powers. “That was fun,” Skye says when they get through the second movie. “I think I’m going to head to bed, though.”

 

“Good night, Skye,” Bruce says.

 

“’Night,” Tony echoes.

 

Skye grins wryly. “Yeah.”

 

“What did you say to her?” Bruce asks after she’s left.

 

Tony shrugs. “Just offered some reassurances of my own, that’s all. She’s a good kid.”

 

Bruce smiles. “She is. You just haven’t shown that much interest until now.”

 

“You like her,” Tony replies, as though the conclusion should be obvious. “You want to help her. I’d do anything for you. That being said, I think we should bring the fun to training.”

 

Bruce frowns. “Fun?”

 

“You’re doing all that meditation and shit,” Tony says. “And while that’s great, and it’s definitely doing its job, fun is important.”

 

Bruce doesn’t disagree, but he’s never really had _fun_ while training before. “Okay, what would you suggest?”

 

Tony grins at him. “I have the perfect thing. Just trust me.”

 

“You know I do,” Bruce replies.

 

“Good, then you can show me just how much,” Tony says, and hauls him in for a kiss that quickly grows heated.

 

“Tony, we can’t,” Bruce mutters, exercising a modicum of self-control. “Skye—”

 

“Bedroom,” Tony responds. “I can be quiet if you can.”

 

Bruce isn’t entirely immune to challenges; he wouldn’t be here if he was. “Fine, but if she wakes up because of some strange noise…”

 

“Smart kid like that?” Tony counters. “She’ll figure it out real quick.”

 

Bruce rolls his eyes, but due to his nap, he’s feeling pretty good, and sex with Tony is always a good time. “Thanks.”

 

Tony smiles smugly. “I just figured that the two of us are always better together, Big Guy.”

 

And Bruce can’t help but agree.

 

Skye’s “emotional outburst” did actually help, which means that Bruce was right. Instead of irritating her, Skye feels as though she can trust Bruce that much more. And yes, she understands that Bruce is flying blind to a certain extent—he’s said as much often enough—but he’s been right often enough.

 

After only a week, Skye is beginning to feel like she might just be able to control her powers, and she might get her life back. She’s just not sure what life she wants.

 

“Okay, we’re going to try something different today,” Bruce announces with a smug grin as he leads her outside two days after she’d had her breakthrough. They’ve been practicing her deflection skills, and Skye has gotten pretty good at preventing ping pong balls from hitting her.

 

Bruce hands her a face helmet, the likes she hasn’t seen before except in television or movies.

 

“This is a paintball helmet,” Skye says.

 

“And this is a paintball gun,” Bruce replies, handing one to her. She can see two other paintball guns on the ground. “Tony and I are going to shoot at you, and you are going to deflect those paintball pellets and shoot back at us.”

 

Skye matches his grin. “And what happens when all the paint winds up on you two and not on me?”

 

“I’ll give you a peek under the hood,” Tony says, appearing out of nowhere. He’s wearing the Iron Man suit, and hands Bruce a vest. “Wouldn’t want you to flip, Big Guy.”

 

Bruce straps on the padded vest and pulls on a mask. “Good luck, Skye. And I mean that.”

 

Skye grins. “Thanks.”

 

“Well, I wouldn’t be doing my job as your Yoda if you couldn’t deflect paintball pellets, among other things,” Bruce jokes. “We’ll give you a five minute head start.”

 

“Give me one,” Skye says. “I’m a trained SHIELD agent, after all.”

 

Tony smirks. “One minute, as requested.”

 

When he starts hovering, Skye wonders if she shouldn’t have taken those five minutes that Bruce had offered, but it’s too late now. She takes off running, and it feels good to stretch her legs, to feel the burn of physical exertion. She hears a noise to her right and throws up a hand.

 

The paintball pellet explodes several feet from her position, and she laughs, taking aim and watching as a bright blue splotch of paint appears on Tony’s chest. “Lucky shot,” he taunts, and Skye takes off running again.

 

The weather is absolutely gorgeous—in the mid-70’s, the sun shining brightly, a cool breeze keeping her from getting overheated. Skye isn’t in danger, and she’s playing paintball with a couple of the Avengers.

 

To her surprise, Bruce is really, really good at the game. She only tags him once, and he gets her a couple of times. Tony, who has never been known for subtlety, gets hit several times—blue for Skye and green for Bruce. Skye suspects Tony had picked the colors. Bruce gets tagged once with blue paint, but it had been a clean shot to the chest.

 

“I think Skye wins,” Bruce says when they call it quits a couple of hours later. “Tony?”

 

“She deflected all of my shots,” Tony admits readily.

 

“And all but one of mine, and I was _trying_ to be sneaky,” Bruce adds. “Well done, Skye.”

 

She lies back on the grass, staring up at the blue expanse overhead. “That was fun.”

 

“Training doesn’t have to be serious all the time, no matter what Mr. Spangly says,” Tony replies.

 

Skye can only assume that “Mr. Spangly” is Captain America; Tony really does have a lot of nicknames for him. “I really felt like I had control.”

 

“It’s becoming instinctual,” Bruce says, his voice warm with approval. “Look, we need to go on a supply run. Are you okay here by yourself?”

 

Skye nods. “I’m good. Thanks to you.”

 

“You did all of the hard work,” Bruce counters. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

 

She appreciates Bruce’s efforts to give her some privacy. Living in close quarters on the Bus, and then the team being thrown together the way they had, especially after the end of SHIELD meant there was always someone around. And then, after the incident in the sunken city, Skye had literally _never_ been alone.

 

Paradoxically, she’d always _felt_ alone, except for that one moment when Fitz had hugged her and promised to keep her secret.

 

Suddenly wanting to talk to someone else, anybody else, on her team, Skye headed back to the cabin to call in. She’d talked to Jemma a few days ago, but maybe she could reach Fitz. He’d probably love to hear all about Tony Stark.

 

“Skye!” Fitz says, his face lighting up. “I wasn’t sure you’d call.”

 

“Of course, I was going to call you,” Skye replies. “I talked to Jemma a couple of days ago.”

 

Some unnamed emotion crosses Fitz’s face. “How did that go?”

 

“It was a little weird,” Skye admits. “About the only people who seem like they don’t care that I’m different now are you, Bruce, and Tony.”

 

As a change in subject, it’s the perfect option. “Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark?” Fitz asks. “What are they like?”

 

“Nice,” Skye says. “It’s like, I don’t know, having really nice uncles or something. When I get things a little more under control, you should visit.”

 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Fitz protests weakly.

 

Skye smiles. “I want them to meet you.”

 

“And you’re doing okay?” he presses. “No more injuries?”

 

“A few aftershocks, but Bruce is really helping me get control of this,” Skye admits. “We played paintball today, and I managed to deflect most of the pellets.”

 

Fitz grins. “That’s amazing! You’ll be unstoppable.” He falls silent and looks troubled. “Don’t—don’t tell anybody about that, Skye.”

 

“What, that I’m probably immune to bullets?” Skye asks.

 

Fitz nods. “I think the others will come around, but I—you’re different now.”

 

Skye swallows. “Yeah, I know.”

 

“And different doesn’t mean worse,” Fitz insists. “Or better or anything like that. It just means different, but that makes people uncomfortable.”

 

Fitz probably knows that better than anybody, except maybe Bruce. “I know. I’ll keep it under my hat.”

 

“Good.” Fitz looks like he wants to say more, but he just says, “I have to go. There are some things I need to get done, and…”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Skye assures him. “I’m good.”

 

He smiles. “I’m going to hold you to it, you know. Meeting them.”

 

“Name the time and place,” Skye replies.

 

The call ends, and Skye feels a little bereft. The silence and solitude feel strange, even though she knows she should probably savor both. She could take a long, hot shower, read something maybe, hack into something.

 

Just _something_.

 

She’d hoped her phone call to Fitz would cheer her up, but it had the opposite effect. That call had just reminded her that no matter what happened, no matter how good her control might be, the chances of her going home again are slim to none.

 

Eventually, she takes a long, hot shower, and pulls on her most comfortable clothing. She can fuck around online, maybe check in with some old friends. She had almost completely given up her old contacts, but she still has a few people she emails on occasion.

 

Skye knows that there might be times when you need to play a little dirty, and keeping in touch with her old hacker friends might do some good eventually, especially now that SHIELD is on the down-low.

 

She sends out a few feelers, just to see who replies. The sun is just setting when Tony and Bruce come barreling into the cabin. “We need to go,” Tony announces without preamble.

 

“What?” Skye asks.

 

“We don’t have time right now,” Bruce adds, putting a hand on her shoulder, his expression grim and intense. “Tony’s putting on the armor, and you and I are hitting the road. Do you trust me?”

 

Skye blinks; she doesn’t even have to think about the answer. “Yeah, of course.”

 

“Then trust me when I say that we need to leave now, and that we will make sure you have everything you need, and there’s no time to pack,” Bruce replies.

 

Skye nods. “Okay.”

 

“Good,” Bruce says with a nod. “Let’s go.”

 

Skye doesn’t even see Tony get into the Iron Man suit. Bruce waits impatiently for the few seconds it takes her to put her shoes on, then hustles her into the car, and books it. There are no squealing tires or anything like that, but she still feels his haste. Even though the twilight would seem to call for headlights, Bruce leaves them off.

 

“What happened?” Skye asks once they’re on the country road and Bruce turns the headlights on.

 

“Coulson called Tony, said that there was some trouble,” Bruce says, and then sighs. “There’s something you need to know.”

 

Skye braces herself. “Okay.”

 

“Your team isn’t the only piece of SHIELD that survived,” Bruce says. “There’s another group. We—the Avengers—are staying out of SHIELD politics for the moment. After what happened…” He sighs. “It was necessary.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Skye protests.

 

“Tony’s designs were used for the helicarriers,” Bruce explains briefly. “The ones Hydra wanted to use to kill thousands of people. Tony is understandably hesitant to get involved with SHIELD again.”

 

“Fair,” Skye admits. “Although that doesn’t explain why you guys dropped everything to take care of me.”

 

Bruce glances at her. “Maybe because you’re worth dropping everything for?”

 

“But you didn’t know me,” Skye protests.

 

A smile quirks Bruce’s lips. “What do you think I would have given for someone with experience to drop everything and give me a hand?”

 

“Everything?” Skye hazards, because that’s what she would have given.

 

“Pretty much,” Bruce confirms. “You were worth it, Skye. We get involved with people, not organizations. You’re a person.”

 

Skye snorts. “Who is part of an organization.”

 

“But the organization isn’t who you are,” Bruce argues. “Look, I know what it’s like to try to find yourself in a group of people, a family. I’m not even saying you’re wrong, or that you shouldn’t put your faith in them. I’m saying that it’s more complicated than you know.”

 

Skye doesn’t know how to reply to that. “Why did we need to leave so quickly?”

 

“Because Coulson made a call to Tony and said that the other SHIELD faction had infiltrated the base, and he wasn’t sure if they’d come after you or not, but it would be better if we were gone,” Bruce explains.

 

Skye gets that. Forget her own abilities—if someone had attacked, they might have drawn out the Hulk, and that would have been disastrous. “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s not your fault,” Bruce insists.

 

Skye shakes her head. “Everywhere I go, I bring trouble.”

 

“I know that feeling,” Bruce replies. “Lucky for us, the Avengers are all about trouble.”

 

Tony flies back to the Tower after checking in with Bruce. He and Skye are making good time, and will be in Manhattan by mid-morning, and there’s no indication that they’re being followed.

 

He has Jarvis keeping an eye on them via satellite, but he’s pretty sure that nothing can really hurt Bruce. The Hulk tends to look after the people that Bruce cares about, so Skye is in good hands. Right now, Tony needs to marshal their forces. If they’re going to have to deal with SHIELD, everybody is going to need to be on board.

 

He suspects that part is going to be easier said than done.

 

“Jarvis, where are the others?”

 

“Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff are on the premises, but I believe that Agent Barton and Thor are out,” Jarvis replies. “I am not sure of their whereabouts.”

 

“Send them a message and let them know I need them back,” Tony orders. “And let Rogers and Romanoff know that we’re going to need them once Bruce and Skye arrive.”

 

“Of course, sir,” Jarvis replies. “And I will keep an eye on Dr. Banner and his ward until they arrive.”

 

“Thanks, J,” Tony says. “Appreciate it.”

 

Tony goes to find Steve first, knowing that he probably ought to at least pay lip service to the idea that Steve calls the shots.

 

Steve is working out, punching the bag that Tony had made specifically to stand up to Captain America’s abuse. So far, Tony hasn’t had to replace it.

 

He turns to look at Tony after a few minutes. “What’s going on? Jarvis said you were out of town on business.”

 

“Phil Coulson called in a favor,” Tony replies. “One of his people got hit with unexpected superpowers, and he thought that if anyone could teach her control, it would be Bruce.”

 

“And where Bruce goes, you go,” Steve observes neutrally.

 

Tony hasn’t been able to get a read on Steve’s response to their relationship, either approval or disapproval. And if it’s disapproval, Tony doesn’t know if it’s because he and Bruce represent a threat to team cohesiveness, or if Steve’s old fashioned prejudices are showing.

 

Not that Tony’s going to allow that to keep him from doing exactly as he pleases with Bruce.

 

Tony shrugs. “It seemed prudent, especially since one of the SHIELD factions ended up sending people after Skye.”

 

“Is everybody okay?” Steve asks immediately.

 

Tony nods. “Bruce is driving back with Skye, and Jarvis is keeping an eye on them. But I think this means that we’re going to need to get involved with SHIELD.”

 

Steve grimaces. “I thought we were staying neutral.”

 

“They came after Bruce,” Tony points out. “Granted, Coulson isn’t my favorite person right now, but at least he seems to be _trying_ to do the right thing, which is more than I can say for Gonzales’ crew.”

 

Steve hesitates. “But this is an enhanced person, Tony. Our stance on them is the same as SHIELD’s.”

 

“Is it, really?” Tony challenges. “Because this is the same SHIELD that built a cage for Bruce, and I think we all know where we stand on that issue.”

 

Steve blows out a breath. “That’s a fair point. Okay, let’s talk to the others, check in with Bruce and this girl when they get here, and put a plan together. How’s Bruce doing with her?”

 

“Her name is Skye, and she has excellent control already,” Tony admits. “Bruce thinks it might be something inherent to her.”

 

Steve frowns. “She’s an enhanced person.”

 

“Emphasis on the person part of that sentence,” Tony says. “She’s a good kid who’s been dealt a shitty hand, Steve. Let’s not make her life more difficult than it needs to be.”

 

Steve looks a little uncomfortable. “The registry is just a way to track them, so we know who to chase if they use their abilities to hurt someone.”

 

Tony frowns. “Maybe they shouldn’t be tracked. If that information gets out, Hydra would love to get their hands on it. You know what they would do with it.”

 

“Nothing good,” Steve agrees.

 

“We know how dangerous information is,” Tony says. “And we know that Hydra has been targeting enhanced people, too.”

 

Steve nods. “Yeah, I know. It’s technically your Tower, so you can invite whoever you want to stay. We’ll talk to the others and figure out what approach we want to take with SHIELD.”

 

“I’ll talk to Natasha,” Tony replies. “See what she has to say.”

 

“You sure you don’t want me to handle it?” Steve asks.

 

Tony shrugs. “I’m the one who knows the situation best, other than Bruce.”

 

“Maybe you should let Bruce handle it when he gets back,” Steve suggests.

 

Tony rolls his eyes. “Romanoff and I have an excellent working relationship, _Steve_. We all agreed that it was better if no one knows about me and Bruce.”

 

“No jealousy?” Steve asks.

 

Tony shrugs. “I know where Bruce spends his nights.”

 

“I know it can be hard to hide that sort of thing,” Steve begins.

 

Tony holds up a hand. “I’m not talking about this with you. We’re making it work, and that’s all you need to know.”

 

Steve holds up his hands as though in surrender. “I’m not judging you guys. It’s your relationship, and I agree with the need for secrecy. I’m just saying that it’s not really helping the team morale.”

 

Steve sounds sincere, and it’s the most Tony’s gotten out of him about his relationship with Bruce, but this is one area that Tony is definitely not letting Steve call the shots.

 

“Team morale is fine,” Tony replies impatiently. “We all know what our roles are. We’re fine with it.”

 

Steve shrugs. “If you say so.”

 

Tony is a little more disgruntled than he usually is after speaking to Steve. His dig about Tony’s right to invite anybody to stay at the Tower because it’s his home, coupled with the comment about Bruce and Natasha and team morale…

 

“Team morale, my ass,” Tony mutters. “The only thing that’s going to cause team morale to suffer is Rogers’ inability to roll with the punches.”

 

Natasha is in the communal kitchen making a cup of tea. “How is Coulson’s protégé?”

 

Tony doesn’t ask how she knows; it’s Natasha, after all. “Really well, considering we only had a week before the SHIELD goons made a surprise visit.”

 

She frowns. “Gonzales?”

 

“I can only assume since Coulson was the one to warn us,” Tony replies. “We may need to get involved.”

 

“I’ll talk to Fury,” Natasha replies. “See if he has any ideas for what to do.”

 

“Tread carefully,” Tony advises. “Fury has a better perspective on enhanced people than most, but this is still SHIELD.”

 

Natasha nods. “Understood. When is Bruce getting back?”

 

“A few hours,” Tony replies. “He has Skye with him.”

 

“If May trained her, she could be useful,” Natasha says.

 

Tony shrugs. “With her abilities, she’s incredibly useful. To pretty much anybody who wants to use her.”

 

Natasha inclines her head in acknowledgment. “A fair assessment. How is Bruce doing with her?”

 

“You should ask him yourself when he gets in,” Tony responds. At her raised eyebrow, he sighs. “Sorry. I just did a round with Steve.”

 

“Was he on you about your relationship with Bruce?”

 

“And your relationship with Bruce,” Tony replies. “And whether I minded, and whether it was hurting team morale.”

 

Natasha gives him a long look. “I’ll talk to Steve. He’s probably just misinformed as to the fact that I’m using Bruce just as much as you two are using me.”

 

“So, what? He’s just old fashioned about relationships, and not freaked out by the idea of a relationship between two men?” Tony asks sourly, more bothered by the possible homophobia than he wants to let on.

 

Natasha smiles. “No, I don’t think he cares that you’re two men, Stark. And if it makes you feel any better, Clint and I don’t care either. Steve is the only one who’s at all bothered.”

 

Tony shrugs it off. “Just so you know, Bruce is pretty fond of Skye.”

 

“I’m not terribly surprised,” Natasha admits. “Bruce has a protective streak a mile wide. He just doesn’t get a chance to exercise it always.”

 

“Thanks,” Tony says.

 

Natasha shrugs. “Let me deal with Steve. You worry about Skye and Bruce.”

 

Tony can definitely live with the division of labor. “Got it. And thanks again.”

 

“I think we both know that it’s probably better to keep the two of you apart as much as possible,” Natasha says dryly.

 

And once again, Tony has to let Natasha have the last word. In this case, since she’s dealing with Steve, Tony is going to allow it.

 

 

Bruce pulls into the garage under the Tower with a sigh of relief. The Tower is a safe haven, the security impossible to beat. The Tower is home, in a way Bruce hadn’t believed he’d have ever again.

 

“Home sweet home, huh?” Skye says, as though she’s reading his mind.

 

“There was a long time when I didn’t think I’d be able to have this again,” Bruce admits.

 

Skye shrugs. “I never really did, not until Coulson, and now…”

 

“I hope you’ll feel at home here,” Bruce says.

 

Skye gives him a faint smile. “I’m sure I will. You guys have been really great.”

 

Bruce laughs. “I don’t know about that, but thanks.”

 

He parks, and Bruce leads the way to the elevator that will go up to the Penthouse. Skye bounces a little bit before she gets herself under control.

 

Bruce grins. He never fails to be amused at how excited people are to meet Tony and Steve in particular. Bruce knows them as people with all of their flaws, and while he likes them both, he’s amused by the hero worship.

 

Then again, Skye has superpowers of her own. Maybe people will be clamoring to meet _her_ someday.

 

“Nice digs,” Skye says as they exit the elevator.

 

Bruce shrugs. “One thing you can say about Tony is that he’s a generous guy.”

 

“I can’t argue with that,” Skye replies.

 

Steve is sitting on the couch in the main living area, reading a book and wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt that stretches across his chest. It’s a little ridiculous how fit Steve and Thor are. They could probably wear burlap sacks, and they would still garner second glances.

 

Bruce doesn’t mind, though; it’s that much easier for him to go unnoticed when everybody is paying attention to your teammates.

 

“You must be Skye,” Steve says with all the charm he can muster. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

“I, um, me too,” Skye manages. “I mean, it’s really nice to meet you.”

 

She’s blushing, and Bruce takes pity on her. “Are you hungry, or would you rather get some sleep?”

 

“Food, I think,” Skye says. “I slept a bit in the car.”

 

“Well, if you don’t mind, I can make pancakes,” Steve offers. “That’s about the extent of my culinary skills.”

 

“You’re still doing better than Tony,” Bruce jokes.

 

“Hey, I resemble that remark,” Tony says, emerging from the elevator to give Bruce a kiss in greeting. “Although, you know, not being able to cook could be seen as a defense mechanism.”

 

Bruce snorts. “I heard about your omelets. I was _warned_.”

 

“Pepper is a dirty, dirty traitor,” Tony replies.

 

Bruce grins. “Admit it, you’re grateful that Pepper and I are friends.”

 

“Not even a little bit,” Tony replies, but he’s smiling. “Skye, your room is ready, and all necessities should be ready to go.”

 

“Thanks,” Skye replies. “That’s really nice of you. Like, above and beyond.”

 

There’s a hard edge to Tony’s voice when he says, “They came after Bruce. They’re officially on my shit list.”

 

“They weren’t really after _me_ ,” Bruce points out, although he doesn’t disagree. Between the laser fence and the SHIELD commandos, he had been placed in the line of fire twice, and the second time could have easily resulted in a Code Green.

 

It’s one thing for the Other Guy to be needed when taking out a Hydra base; it’s something else altogether when it would have likely resulted in the loss of mostly-innocent life.

 

“Close enough,” Tony replies. “Until I know for certain that they weren’t aware of your presence, I’m going to assume they were willing to go through you to get to Skye.”

 

“Going after Skye is bad enough,” Steve says mildly, beating the eggs into the batter. “She’s one of their own, and she hasn’t hurt anybody.”

 

“Other than myself,” she mutters.

 

Bruce steers her to a seat, thinking a change in subject is in order. “Do you want something to drink?”

 

“Coffee?” she asks hopefully.

 

“Coming right up, Ms. Skye,” Jarvis says.

 

She startles, and Tony says, “That’s right, I forgot you hadn’t met Jarvis.”

 

“Um, hi,” Skye says, her expression a cross between quietly thrilled and completely freaked out.

 

Bruce has noticed that a lot of people get that way around Tony and his AIs.

 

“You’re okay with Steve, right?” Tony asks her. “Because I need to have a quick talk with Bruce.”

 

Skye nods, still wearing the same expression. “Yeah, sure.”

 

Steve smiles at her. “Why don’t you tell me about your training? Word is, you’ve learned from one of the best.”

 

Tony grabs Bruce’s arm and hauls him back towards the bedroom they currently share. “No signs of trouble?”

 

“None,” Bruce replies. “And I highly doubt that even Gonzales will be willing to storm the Tower.”

 

“You never know,” Tony replies darkly.

 

Bruce snorts. “Don’t you think that Coulson is going to drop the bomb that Fury’s still alive pretty soon? Besides, we’re running separate missions.”

 

“Speaking of, we have intel from Coulson on a major Hydra base,” Tony says. “It’s preliminary, but if they have what we think they have, we’re going to have to mount a full assault.”

 

Bruce grimaces. “Great.”

 

“What about Skye? Do you think she’ll be ready?” Tony asks.

 

Bruce considers the question. “I’d like to see how she does sparring against Natasha, and maybe in the situation room with the others. I think the tougher problem will be convincing the others to let her join us.”

 

“Natasha might be a relatively easy sell,” Tony says. “She agreed to speak to Steve about us, and she still has ties to SHIELD.”

 

“And she still likes and trusts Coulson,” Bruce points out. “Steve has reservations.”

 

“When does he not have reservations?” Tony asks a little sourly. “He’s still twitchy about enhanced people.”

 

Bruce frowns. “Do we need to worry about leaving Skye with him?”

 

“I don’t think he’d risk upsetting you,” Tony replies. “Steve still has a problem with enhanced people, but he’s careful to avoid making you angry.”

 

Bruce smirks. “There are times when the Other Guy comes in handy.”

 

Tony’s eyes narrow. “You use that on purpose with Steve.”

 

“Only when absolutely necessary,” Bruce replies.

 

Tony laughs at that and runs his hand through his hair. “Okay, well, let’s work on finding out what Skye can do, and whether she’s even field ready. If she is, we can turn our attention to including her with the rest of the team on a mission, something without too much risk.”

 

“I can’t deny that her powers are formidable,” Bruce muses. “And she’s a trained SHIELD agent. It’s easy to forget, given how young she is, but…”

 

“She’s probably chomping at the bit to be back out there,” Tony supplies.

 

Bruce smiles, knowing that it’s bittersweet. “She doesn’t have to fear her powers the way that I do.” He pauses. “How are you and Natasha doing?”

 

“We’re fine,” Tony replies. “It’s Steve who has a problem with the way things are. Romanoff and I actually have a really good working relationship. Especially now that we’re dating, and she’s keeping the heat off both of us.”

 

The public has drawn their own conclusions about Tony and Pepper, and Thor and Jane Foster, and even the status of the rest of their relationships. Bruce doesn’t want to take his relationship with Tony public for a host of reasons, and Natasha doesn’t want to _be_ in a relationship for a host of reasons, and so this is the solution they’ve come up with.

 

People just assume things, and the Avengers don’t correct them. Maybe it’s not ideal, but it’s a layer of protection.

 

Some of those thoughts must have shown on Bruce’s face, because Tony says, “Hey, come here,” and pulls him in for a hug.

 

They’d made a choice not to be public about this, but they’re not in public right now, and Bruce _needs_ this. He needs Tony, who somehow keeps him on an even keel.

 

“We’ve got this,” Tony says, making the same promise he’s made in the past. “I’ve got you.”

 

“Yeah, you do,” Bruce replies.

 

Tony pulls back after a minute. “I’m working on a new AI. I thought I might give Skye a break from the other stuff.”

 

“Probably for the best,” Bruce agrees. “I’m still working on a few things, so I might join you.”

 

Tony gives him a kiss. “Sleep or food? Either way, I’ll look after Skye if you want a break.”

 

“Sleep,” Bruce admits. “Skye might have slept on the way, but I didn’t.”

 

“I’ve got it,” Tony replies. “Take a load off, Big Guy.”

 

Bruce breathes out a sigh. “Yeah, thanks.”

 

“Don’t even mention it,” Tony replies.

 

And Bruce goes to bed knowing that Tony has his back—and Skye’s.

 

Meeting Captain America is very, very cool. Unbelievably, he might actually be hotter in person, and he’s so nice that Skye would totally understand Coulson’s man-crush if she hadn’t already had a bit of a crush of her own.

 

 _Captain America is making me pancakes_ , Skye thinks and resolutely suppresses her urge to audibly squee.

 

She can be cool. She _can._

 

Skye is a little bereft when Tony pulls Bruce out for a conversation, and she wonders what they’re talking about, and if they’re talking about her. She’s at ease with Bruce, and mostly at ease with Tony, and them leaving feels a little like losing her security blanket.

 

Even if Tony Stark is overwhelming on the best of days.

 

“So, what’s your story?” Captain America asks.

 

“Um, what part of my story do you want?” Skye asks, her mind going blank at the thought that Captain America is trying to get to know her. “Because it’s not all that interesting.”

 

“How did you join SHIELD?” he asks.

 

Skye shrugs. “Coulson caught me hacking in,” she admits. “And instead of throwing me in jail, he gave me a job.”

 

“Bruce must think pretty highly of you,” Steve offers. “He and Tony don’t invite just anybody to stay here.”

 

She wonders if she’s imagining the suspicion in his voice. “Well, once SHIELD gatecrashed our party, I’m not sure they had a lot of choices, unless they wanted to drop me somewhere.”

 

Steven shakes his head. “No, the Tower is the best place, especially if SHIELD is after you. They wouldn’t dare come here, and it’s reinforced for the Hulk. Tony didn’t say what you could do.”

 

She knows a thinly veiled question when she hears one. “Um, I guess you’d say I cause earthquakes.”

 

“Inaccurate,” Tony announces as he reenters the room. “You can sense and affect the atomic vibrations inherent in all matter. Bruce is taking a nap, FYI.”

 

Skye glances at him uncertainly, sensing an undercurrent of hostility, but she’s not really sure what’s causing it, or if it’s centered on her. “He did drive straight through,” Skye says. “I offered to help, but he said he could handle it.”

 

“It’s a control thing,” Tony says. “Don’t take it personally. Bruce just didn’t want to risk something going wrong and transforming, particularly if he was asleep at the time.”

 

Skye hasn’t really considered that aspect. “Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

 

“Bruce is pretty careful about his control,” Steve says.

 

“Something we have in common,” Skye murmurs.

 

Tony pats her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

 

“Used to what?” Skye asks.

 

“Being around the good captain here,” Tony replies. “Just like you got used to being around us.”

 

Skye smirks at him. “Who says I’m used to you?”

 

Tony grins. “Don’t lie. I’m your favorite.”

 

“Bruce is my favorite,” Skye retorts.

 

“Bruce is everyone’s favorite,” Tony complains.

 

Steve puts a plate of pancakes in front of her. “Maybe that’s because Bruce isn’t—” Steve stops. “Difficult.”

 

Skye is certain that’s not what Steve had intended to say, and there’s clearly some issues here that she really doesn’t want to get in the middle of. “Great pancakes,” she says, after taking a large bite.

 

“Thanks,” Steve replies with a sincere smile. “I’m glad you like them.”

 

“You think I could get some pancakes?” Tony asks, and if she didn’t know better, Skye would say that Tony is being deliberately bratty.

 

On second thought, that’s exactly what Tony is doing. Skye figures a change of subject is in order.

 

“So, what exactly am I doing here?” Skye asks.

 

“Today, you’re going to help me construct another AI. Tomorrow, you’ll face Natasha, who will determine whether you’re field ready,” Tony replies. “If she clears you, we’ll have another conversation.”

 

“Another conversation?” Steve inquires.

 

Tony gives him a challenging look. “Yeah, we’ll have a conversation about including her on a mission.”

 

Steve frowns. “Tony—”

 

“She’s got as much right to be included as Wilson,” Tony says, his voice hard. “She’s a trained SHIELD agent.”

 

“Last I heard, we didn’t exactly trust SHIELD,” Steve replies.

 

Skye decides that she really ought to focus on her pancakes, and she hunkers down.

 

“We don’t,” Tony replies. “But we trust people, and you know how cynical I can be.”

 

Steve is quiet a long moment, but Skye doesn’t look up, staring at her plate and the pancakes and pooled syrup. “I do,” he finally admits. “We’ll see what Natasha has to say.”

 

“That’s all I ask,” Tony says.

 

Skye risks a look up and sees Steve’s set jaw and Tony’s mulish expression. She really doesn’t want to be a bone of contention between them.

 

The silence that falls is a little uncomfortable, and Skye is glad when she’s finished her pancakes and Tony announces that they’ll be in his lab.

 

“Sorry about that,” he says once they’re away from Steve.

 

“I don’t want to cause trouble,” Skye insists. “If it’s going to be weird having me here—”

 

“It’s not weird,” Tony insists. “Steve and I have differences of opinion on occasion, and this just happens to be one of those occasions.”

 

Skye looks at him. “He doesn’t want me on the team.”

 

Tony sighs. “Steve was SHIELD, and he’s something of a hypocrite where it concerns enhanced people.”

 

“Hypocrite, how?” Skye asks.

 

“He’s enhanced,” Tony says. “But it’s different when it’s him or his friends. Come on, we have an AI to build.”

 

If anybody had told Skye that she would one day be hanging out with Tony Stark, building an AI, and getting a chance to see the genius at work, she would probably have laughed—or maybe punched them for giving her a hard time. A year ago, if someone had told her that the Black Widow herself would be testing her abilities, Skye probably would have done the same.

 

A few weeks ago, she’d been certain that her life was over; now, it just seems like it was the end of a chapter.

 

“Can I ask you something?” Skye says.

 

Tony gives her a look. “Sure, but I won’t promise to answer.”

 

“Why are you doing this? I mean, I know you’re doing this for Bruce, but you wouldn’t have to clash with Captain America over whether I should be on the team.” In Skye’s experience, people don’t offer something for nothing—maybe especially people like Tony Stark.

 

And yet, she can’t figure out what he might want.

 

“You mean, why am I doing _this_ , right now, or why do I think you should be included on the team?” Tony asks putting in a line of code that’s the kind of genius that Skye admires so much. She knows just enough to know how impressive it is, not enough to replicate it.

 

“Both,” Skye replies, because she’s not sure why Tony’s letting her peek under the hood.

 

Tony smiles briefly. “I’m doing this right now because your hacking skills are top-notch, and I thought maybe you could learn a thing or two.”

 

That still doesn’t really answer Skye’s question, because she can’t see what Tony’s getting out of it.

 

“You never know,” he continues. “We might need those skills someday while I’m off being Iron Man.”

 

Skye can understand that. “Okay, but why do it at all?”

 

“Hasn’t anybody ever helped you just because?”

 

Skye shrugs. “Coulson, but you know how that turned out.”

 

“Maybe it worked out for the best,” Tony suggests. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

 

“I guess,” Skye replies, “but that doesn’t exactly answer my question.”

 

Tony lets out a breath. “Don’t take this the wrong way, because I don’t want anything to happen to you, but you pretty much have control of your abilities.”

 

“Mostly,” Skye agrees.

 

“Tell me what it would feel like for you to be able to use those abilities in the field,” Tony says. “With us.”

 

Skye is startled into answering honestly. “It would be awesome.”

 

“When we have a Code Green, and Bruce has to transform, it’s hard on him, and there’s an element of risk to pretty much everybody else,” Tony replies. “If your abilities could make a difference, and would mean that he doesn’t have to turn into the Hulk, then I’m going to enlist your help.”

 

That’s an explanation that Skye can understand, and she nods. “If I can help Bruce, I will.”

 

“I know,” Tony replies. “That’s one of the reasons I like you so much.”

 

Dinner that night is takeout, eaten with Steve and Natasha and Bruce, who emerges from the bedroom in time for dinner.

 

Steve asks her questions cautiously, like he’s wary of potential landmines, and maybe his past has enough of them that he understands. She tells them a little about the Rising Tide, and how she’d been looking for clues to her past, although she doesn’t tell them what she’d found.

 

She says little about Ward or Simmons, and enough about Fitz so they’ll understand how great he is.

 

“Agent May trained you?” Natasha asks.

 

“For the last few months,” Skye replies. “It was Ward before that.”

 

Natasha nods. “We’ll see how well you do tomorrow.”

 

Skye feels that’s a little ominous, and she has no idea how well she’ll do with Natasha. “Thanks. I appreciate the opportunity.”

 

She’s learned over the years how to be grateful even for the smallest things. She’d been an orphan for most of her life, dependent upon the kindness of others.

 

“We’ll see,” Natasha replies.

 

Skye yawns her way through the last part of dinner, and Bruce is the one to show her to her room. “Sleep well, Skye,” he says.

 

“Thanks,” she replies.

 

The bed is large, the sheets nicer than any she’s slept with in the past, and the bathroom is palatial. There are clean clothes in the drawer, and Skye really doesn’t want to know how Tony had somehow known her size.

 

Then again, as many women as he’d slept with, maybe he has some special skill.

 

She sleeps that night, even though she thought she might be too nervous, knowing what’s coming the next day.

 

But Skye is used to sleeping in new places, and if she dreams, she doesn’t remember them.

 

 

It hasn’t escaped Bruce’s notice that he’s old enough to be Skye’s father, or that his feelings for her are verging on the paternal. He’s never going to father children, and he and Tony aren’t the type to adopt—even if someone were crazy enough to approve their application.

 

But Skye needs what Bruce can offer in a way that no one else ever has, and so Bruce has a certain proprietary interest, although he suspects that Skye’s control will soon outstrip his own.

 

Which is why he’s in the training room, watching as Skye faces off with Natasha, even though he tends to avoid violence if he’s not green, even just as a spectator.

 

“We’ll start slowly,” Natasha says to Skye. “If May thought you were worth training, I know you’re good, but this is the first time you’ve trained since getting your new abilities, correct?”

 

Skye nods. “Yeah. Except for playing paintball with Bruce and Tony.”

 

Natasha smiles. “You won?”

 

“I did.”

 

Natasha nods. “Good. I’d expect nothing less. Let’s begin.”

 

Bruce has never liked violence. It’s ironic, given what lives under Bruce’s skin, but it’s been true since he first felt his father’s fists. He tends to avoid the gym when his teammates are sparring for just that reason. Even though he understands the need, he doesn’t like watching his friends hurt each other.

 

Still, he feels like he owes it to Skye to be there for her.

 

He can tell that Natasha is holding back for the first fifteen minutes, and then she speeds up. Skye grunts when Natasha gets a punch past her defenses, connecting to her side. Skye shakes it off immediately and comes back harder.

 

Even if she’s not making Natasha sweat, Skye is keeping up, and Bruce hasn’t felt a tremor yet.

 

“Enough,” Natasha says. “Take a break.”

 

Skye backs away and bends over, her hands on her knees as she breathes heavily. Bruce rises from his seat on the floor on the side of the mat, and grabs a couple of bottles of water. “Here,” he says.

 

“Thanks,” Skye replies, beginning to walk around and drinking deeply.

 

Natasha nods her thanks. “May taught you well.”

 

Skye looks thrilled. “Thank you.”

 

“We’ll go to the firing range next, and the ready room, and we’ll see how you do there,” Natasha says.

 

Skye’s expression shows her determination clearly. “I won’t let you down.”

 

“See that you don’t,” Natasha replies evenly, not betraying even a hint of emotion.

 

Skye swallows, but doesn’t reply, possibly realizing that there’s nothing she can say to impress Natasha; it’s going to take actions.

 

Bruce clears his throat. “I don’t think I need to be at the firing range. Do you want anybody else in the situation room with you?”

 

“Steve, I think, and if Clint is back, him too,” Natasha replies.

 

Bruce nods. “I’ll have Jarvis alert them. I’m cooking tonight, by the way.”

 

“Excellent,” Natasha says. “Curry, I hope.”

 

Bruce smiles. Natasha has grown rather fond of his curry over the last year or so since the Avengers had formed as a team apart from SHIELD. “I think that can be arranged. Good luck, Skye.”

 

“Thanks,” she replies. “Really.”

 

“You’re welcome, really,” Bruce replies with a smile.

 

He heads to the lab to meet up with Tony, saying, “Jarvis, could you let Steve and Clint know they’re wanted in the situation room in an hour?”

 

“Of course, sir,” Jarvis replies. “I believe Mr. Barton returned late last night.”

 

“Thanks, Jarvis. Let everybody know I’m making dinner, too, okay?”

 

“Consider it done.”

 

Bruce enters the lab and breathes a purely internal sigh of relief. As much as he’s enjoyed working with Skye, the lab is where he’s most comfortable.

 

“How did it go?” Tony asks immediately without glancing up from his holographic model of what looks like the Quinjet.

 

“I think Natasha might have been a little bit impressed,” Bruce replies.

 

Tony glances up at him. “Seriously?”

 

“Firing range and situation room are next, but Skye held her own against Natasha, and not many people can say that,” Bruce replies.

 

Tony nods. “True. Steve is going to be a problem.”

 

“If Natasha and Clint back us up, we’ll have a majority, and we can overrule him,” Bruce replies. “Plus, if it’s a relatively minor mission, we can argue that it’s a chance for Skye to prove herself, even if she does wind up back at SHIELD. If it’s part of her training, Steve might agree, particularly if Natasha and I present the idea.”

 

Tony nods. “Fair point. Steve definitely likes you better. How did Skye seem to you?”

 

“Good, interested in proving herself,” Bruce replies. “There wasn’t even a tremble with Natasha.”

 

Tony nods. “Well, let’s see how she does in the situation room. If the Tower starts to shake, we’ll know that her control isn’t quite perfect.”

 

“No one’s control is perfect,” Bruce replies. “But she’s definitely getting there. Any word from Coulson?”

 

“Video message,” Tony replies. “Jarvis, play message.”

 

Coulson’s face appears on the screen. “I hope all is going well with Skye. I’m afraid that I have to remain out of touch. Skye should definitely stay with you. I don’t trust Gonzales with her, or any enhanced person, especially considering their assault on the cabin. I’m not sure whether he knew Bruce was on the premises, but if he didn’t, it was out of willful ignorance.”

 

“Oh, willful ignorance,” Bruce mutters. “Just what you want out of someone who’s leading a government agency.”

 

“Let Skye know that Fitz and Hunter are with me, while May and Simmons are with Gonzales, keeping an eye on him. At least, I hope. May isn’t the most objective when it comes to enhanced people,” Coulson continues. “I’ve sent you the most up to date information I have on the Hydra bases. Thank you for taking care of Skye. I know she’s in good hands.”

 

Tony glances at Bruce. “Still want to get involved in SHIELD politics?”

 

“Let’s see what happens,” Bruce replies. “Right now, they’re out of our hair, and we’ve got Hydra to deal with. As long as they stay out of our business, we can let things go.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Tony replies. “Now, you want to give me a hand? I think we can streamline the engine designs a little more.”

 

 

Skye had been nervous about sparring with Natasha. The few SHIELD agents she’d known had spoken of the Black Widow in hushed tones, and even May sounded respectful when she mentioned the other woman’s prowess.

 

Turns out that all that training with May has paid off, though, because Skye’s muscles respond faster than her brain does. While she’s still stuck on, “I’m actually sparring with Black Widow,” her arms and legs are blocking and punching and kicking.

 

The quiet praise at the end of the session means as much as one of May’s off-handed compliments had when she’d said, “well done,” or “you’re coming along nicely.” In the months after Ward’s betrayal, waiting to see whether Fitz would recover, feeling the wrongness of the team off-kilter, those words had meant the world.

 

“Bruce must like you quite a bit,” Natasha comments as they head down to the firing range.

 

Skye frowns. “What? I mean, he’s been great, but—”

 

“Bruce doesn’t care to watch us train, and he’s never in the gym when we’re sparring,” Natasha replies. “He was there for you.”

 

Skye lets out a laugh. “You know, Coulson has been—kind of like a father to me, you know?”

 

“He’s a good man,” Natasha replies. “He was good to me, too, when I first came to SHIELD.”

 

Skye nods. “Coulson looked out for me, even when I didn’t really deserve it.” She pauses, because she’s not exactly sure how to classify his decision to dump her on Bruce. Skye certainly doesn’t regret it, but—

 

“Coulson will always do what he believes is best for the people he cares about,” Natasha says quietly. “Even when it comes at great personal cost to himself.”

 

“I figured that out,” Skye says quietly, wondering what it had cost him to send her away. She’s not entirely sure it had cost him anything, but maybe she’s being uncharitable to assume that Coulson had been getting rid of a problem.

 

Maybe he really had been doing what he thought was best for her. It seems to have worked out for her so far. She has more control than she had a week ago.

 

“You may be able to rejoin them again someday,” Natasha replies. “But until then, perhaps you can help us, particularly Bruce.”

 

Skye glances at her. “Tony said I might be able to help in situation where you might need Bruce to transform.”

 

“We try to avoid a Code Green as much as possible,” Natasha replies diplomatically. “The risk is too great, but if we really need the Hulk, it’s because having that kind of power will save lives that might otherwise be lost.”

 

Skye hesitates. “Sorry if this is out of line, but is the Hulk really that scary? I mean, I’ve seen footage, but Bruce…”

 

“Bruce is one of the few men I’ve ever known who hates violence,” Natasha replies with a sidelong look at Skye. “It would be easy for him to leave, to become a hermit in some deserted corner of the world so as to minimize the risk that he would ever need to transform again. He could, at this point. Tony, at least, would keep all pursuers off his trail, as would the rest of us.”

 

“But?” Skye prompts.

 

“He cares,” Natasha says simply. “About us, about the world, and he cannot turn his back on that while he might yet be useful.”

 

Skye thinks about the power that lives under her skin, and she understands. She’s gotten the bug at this point, and the idea of not helping, even if she’s putting her own life at risk, even if it means pain and loss, is not something she can fathom.

 

“I get that.”

 

“Perhaps he seems something of himself in you.” Natasha leads the way into a firing range. “This won’t simulate the real world, of course, but it will give me an idea of your familiarity with various weapons.”

 

Skye can kind of understand why Bruce might identify with her situation; she can say the same. She pushes the thoughts out of her head, though. Right now, she needs to focus on the task at hand, because she’s never going to make it into the field with the Avengers if she doesn’t at least sort of impress Natasha Romanoff.

 

“Now, let’s see what you can do with the various weapons most commonly used by SHIELD agents,” Natasha replies.

 

Skye has had relentless drilling from May on handguns and rifles in the last months, and it’s something she feels confident about. Natasha is clearly interested in knowing the full extent of her knowledge of guns. She dismantles the gun and puts it back together three times.

 

“Good,” Natasha says. “Let’s see how you shoot.”

 

Skye takes aim at the target, set about thirty feet away, and unloads the clip.

 

“Good grouping,” Natasha replies, replacing the target with a fresh one and moving it back to fifty feet, where Skye repeated the same grouping.

 

Natasha nods. “How are you with a sniper rifle?”

 

Skye shrugs. “I’ve made a few tough shots.”

 

“Clint will probably take you to the outdoor range soon,” Natasha says. “But you’re unlikely to be required to make long-range shots.”

 

Skye smiles. “Not when you guys have Hawkeye, right?”

 

“Pretty much,” Natasha agrees. “You’re good with a handgun.”

 

From the Black Widow, that’s a huge compliment. “Thanks.”

 

“Do you want a break? We have some time before we need to go to the situation room,” Natasha says.

 

“Maybe water and a snack?” Skye asks.

 

“That can be arranged.”

 

Skye realizes that she feels steady here, and she hasn’t had an episode since being at the Tower, not even a tremor.

 

“You okay?” Natasha asks.

 

Skye shrugs. “I feel steady.”

 

Natasha raises her eyebrows, but her expression remains fairly cool. “Good. Let’s see how you do in the situation room.”

 

Skye is a little surprised to find Steve and what has to be Hawkeye waiting for them. Steve is wearing workout gear, but he’s holding his shield. Hawkeye is wearing similar gear along with his bow and arrow.

 

Natasha picks up what looks like a handgun and hands it to Skye. “Steve is in charge in the field, so follow his orders and be aware of the rest of us.”

 

“Live rounds?” Skye asks.

 

“No, the computer will pick up when you fire and where you’re aiming. It’s all simulated,” Steve says. “Skye, Clint Barton. Clint, Skye.”

 

“Pleasure,” Clint says, holding out a hand for Skye to shake.

 

She shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

 

“Okay, this scenario uses Hydra agents, and the goal is to ensure at least one is alive to be questioned,” Steve says. “It’s close quarters fighting, so keep that in mind when you’re using your weapon. Skye, I want you to stick close to me, okay?”

 

Skye nods, although she has no idea what to expect. Steve gives her a smile that comes off more as a grimace, and then the whole room comes alive. For a moment, Skye’s overwhelmed, and she can feel the trembling in her gut.

 

Keeping Bruce’s advice in mind, she breathes in and out before she brings her weapon up to bear against the Hydra agents quickly closing in. She can feel a slight tremble under her feet, but she brings it under control and drills a couple of Hydra agents. Out of instinct, she moves back to back with Steve.

 

Steve calls out orders, and Skye follows them without thinking—or at least thinking only so far as carrying out the order and moving on to the next target.

 

She keeps an awareness of Natasha and Clint that’s instinctual. It’s easy to keep track of the holographic Hydra agents, because they don’t vibrate like the others do.

 

Or, rather, it’s easy to not shoot the others because she knows exactly where they are at all times.

 

Her world narrows to the fight, to Steve’s orders, to disabling her adversaries, to her teammates.

 

She feels solid, and when the simulation ends, Skye feels almost disappointed.

 

“Well done, everybody,” Steve says. “Skye, stay behind.”

 

Skye feels a little like she’s been called to the principal’s office. Natasha and Clint head out, beginning a quiet conversation, their heads bent close together.

 

“You did good,” Steve says immediately. “But I wanted to know how _you_ felt about it.”

 

Skye shrugs. She doesn’t want to brag, but she feels compelled to be truthful. “It was too easy.”

 

Steve raises his eyebrows. “Really?”

 

“The holograms were obvious,” Skye admits, a little uncomfortable. “Bruce has been teaching me to sense the vibrations in everything. Holograms don’t vibrate the way a person does. It might be different out in the field, though, with real people.”

 

Steve frowns. “Do you think that’s going to have an impact when we go up against Hydra?”

 

Skye’s immediate response is to deny it, but she forces herself to stop and think. “I’ve been in the field with my team, and I didn’t have a problem. I don’t think this new ability is going to change that.”

 

Steve gives her a long look. “We have a mission coming up that shouldn’t prove too difficult. We’ll use you on a trial basis.”

 

Skye feels a little like she’s being damned with faint praise, but she forces herself to smile and paste on what she hopes is a grateful expression. “Thank you, Captain. You won’t regret it.”

 

Steve gives her a tight nod, then turns on his heel and leaves.

 

Skye sits down hard on the floor. “Okay, then,” she mutters. “Looks like I’m going to work that much harder to impress Captain America.”

 

She’s still sitting there when Bruce enters. “Hey.”

 

“Hey,” she replies. “I don’t think Captain Rogers likes me much.”

 

Bruce sits down next to her. “Steve is a good man, but he has certain blind spots.”

 

“What kind of blind spots?”

 

“About me,” Bruce says. “About my relationships with Tony and Natasha. About SHIELD and enhanced people.”

 

Skye looks down at her hands, now out of the stabilizing gloves. “Guess it was too much to hope for that Captain America didn’t have prejudices.”

 

“Blind spots aren’t quite the same thing as prejudices,” Bruce replies. He’s quiet for a moment, thoughtful. “Before you were exposed to the mist, what did you think about enhanced people?”

 

Skye thinks about it for a minute. “I was fascinated, but I also knew that if I tracked people with powers, I’d find SHIELD, and I knew that if I found SHIELD, I might find my parents.”

 

“What do you think most people think about them?” Bruce asks.

 

“I would guess they don’t, unless they’re wishing for superpowers of their own.” Skye grimaces. “Frankly, _way_ overrated.”

 

Bruce smiles briefly. “And when you were at SHIELD, what did you think?”

 

“We were usually tracking them down because they were dangerous,” Skye replies. “I guess I wasn’t really thinking about anything other than stopping them.”

 

Bruce looks at her steadily, saying nothing.

 

“Most people are still stuck on the ‘stopping people with powers’ bit,” Skye says. “So, I’m going to have to prove that I don’t suck, and I’m not out for world domination every time I turn around.”

 

“To be fair, I don’t think they’re all that worried about you taking over the world,” Bruce replies wryly. “But holding a city for ransom lest you destroy it with an earthquake? That’s a possibility.”

 

Skye hasn’t even thought of that. “No wonder people are worried about you and Tony taking over the world.”

 

Bruce chuckles. “Paranoia, in my case, wondering about all the ways people could use me.” He gets to his feet and offers Skye a hand up. “Come on. You can get cleaned up, and then I’ll show you how to make curry.”

 

“I’ve never had curry,” Skye admits. When Bruce looks surprised, she says, “My foster families and the orphanage weren’t exactly adventurous in the food department, and I never really got the chance to try Indian.”

 

Bruce shrugs. “Neither did I until I lived in India. Experimentation is good for the soul, and Steve is a lot friendlier with a full stomach.”

 

“Is that why you’re a feeder?” Skye teases.

 

Bruce smirks. “Well, I did tell you that adequate food and sleep is key to emotional regulation.”

 

Skye takes a quick shower and then joins Bruce in the kitchen where he’s slicing up chicken. “I left you the onion.”

 

“Oh, gee, thanks so much,” Skye says sarcastically, and is rewarded with a grin from Bruce, who finishes the chicken and starts on the garlic.

 

Skye has helped Bruce a few times in the kitchen, and she enjoys it. There are times she wonders if this is how things should have— _would_ have—been if her dad hadn’t been such a psycho. They could have cooked dinner together, and he would have let her have the crappy jobs, like slicing onion, and given her a hard time.

 

“Can I ask you a question?” Skye blurts out.

 

Bruce pauses. “Of course. I can’t promise to answer, though.”

 

Skye thinks better of it. “Sorry. It’s—never mind.”

 

“Skye, you can ask me anything,” Bruce insists. “I just might not be able to answer.”

 

“I found my dad,” Skye admits. “I mean, Coulson probably told you when he gave you his file on me, so I’m sure you know that, but—”

 

She stops cold, uncertain how to phrase her question.

 

“For what it’s worth, what I know about your father indicates that he wasn’t always a bad person,” Bruce says carefully. “He was a doctor who worked in remote areas of the world, and he tried to help people.”

 

“But?” Skye prompts.

 

“But there are things in this life that can break us,” Bruce says quietly. “And we never know what might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. No matter who or what he is now, it has no reflection on you, Skye. What matters is what you do.”

 

Skye blinks moisture out of her eyes, suddenly grateful that Bruce had left the onion for her. It makes a convenient excuse. “What if no one sees what I do because they’re too focused on what I _am_?”

 

Bruce meets her eyes. “Then you should find different people to hang out with.”

 

Skye nods, but doesn’t reply. She’s not sure where to find those people, but at least she has Bruce—and Tony—in her corner. That’s something.

 

 

Tony pulls up the hologram of the Hydra base and takes a step back to let Maria Hill and Steve take the lead in tactical planning. He leans against the wall next to Bruce, their shoulders just touching. Bruce’s role will hopefully be limited to being on standby, either for a Code Green, or to support Skye.

 

“Our best reconnaissance has between a dozen to two dozen Hydra agents at the base,” Hill begins. “It’s a minor research facility, and we don’t think there’s much there. Shutting it down is more the principle of the thing than a pressing need.”

 

“It’s Hydra, there’s always a need to shut them down,” Steve says, and Tony watches as Skye’s head jerks in agreement.

 

“So noted,” Hill replies. “We don’t have sufficient reconnaissance for the base in Sokovia, and we’re waiting for Thor to return anyway, so this will serve as something as a milk run for our newest recruit.” She nods at Skye, who looks a little startled.

 

“We’ll attack on two fronts,” Steve says. “Tony will lead the frontal assault with me, while Natasha and Skye go in through the back. Clint will provide support for any Hydra agents trying to flee.” Steve glances at Bruce. “As usual, we won’t call Bruce in unless there’s a Code Green.”

 

Bruce nods. “Thanks.”

 

Tony sees Skye glance at Bruce, and there’s resolution in her eyes. Tony knows that she’s loyal to Bruce, and that she’ll do just about anything for him. Right now, it looks like she’ll do whatever she can to ensure that Bruce stays out of it.

 

“We may need you later if it looks like there’s been research conducted on site, Bruce,” Steve adds, “but we shouldn’t need the Other Guy if all goes well.”

 

Tony only pays half-attention to the briefing. He’s clear on his role, and on the roles of the others. They’ve taken out about half a dozen Hydra bases, and this is one of the smaller ones. It should be a cakewalk, and exactly the kind of mission to get Skye’s feet wet, and prove to the doubters that she’s a valuable asset.

 

“Wheels up in one hour,” Steve finally says.

 

“Better get something to eat while we still have time,” Tony says in an undertone. “You want me to order in?”

 

Bruce shakes his head. “No, I think I’ve got stuff for sandwiches. We can get something more substantial afterward.”

 

Skye joins them. “Hey.”

 

“You ready for this?” Bruce asks.

 

Skye nods. “Definitely. I just want to get back in the field.”

 

“Score to settle with them?” Tony asks.

 

“You could say that,” Skye agrees.

 

Bruce gives her a warning look. “Don’t let that emotion control you when you’re in the field.”

 

“Got it,” Skye replies. “Cool as a cucumber, I promise.”

 

“I’ll be on coms, so if you need anything, just let me know,” Bruce adds. “I might not be able to do much, but sometimes it helps to hear a friendly voice.”

 

Skye smiles. “I’ve _got_ this, I promise.”

 

Tony claps Bruce on the shoulder. “Don’t be such a mother hen. Skye’s going to be with Natasha, after all.”

 

Bruce grimaces. “I’ll try.”

 

The others join them for a quick bite, slapping together sandwiches and devouring them quickly. It’s a familiar pre-battle ritual, eating something light, saving their appetites for the post-battle party.

 

The Quinjet is fueled up and ready to go, and Clint takes the pilot seat, with Natasha as his co-pilot. Tony’s in his armor since it’s a relatively quick flight. Steve is seated, his head tipped back, part of his pre-battle meditation or whatever it is he does.

 

Bruce and Skye are sitting next to each other on the bench, both of them wearing headphones. Bruce is probably listening to opera, but Tony doesn’t know Skye well enough to know what kind of music she favors.

 

Tony leans against the bulkhead next to her. “What are you listening to?”

 

“It’s a mix I used before we’d go on missions,” Skye says, removing one of her ear buds. “Classic rock, a little metal, some punk, that sort of thing.”

 

“If you like, I can add to that playlist when we get back,” Tony offers.

 

Skye grins. “You want to swap music?”

 

“You can tell a lot about someone by the music they listen to,” Tony replies.

 

Bruce’s eyes are closed, and he speaks without opening them. “Just because I like listening to opera doesn’t make me boring.”

 

“No, the fact that you listen to music _other_ than opera means that you’re not boring,” Tony counters. “You’ve got eclectic tastes.”

 

“Good thing, since I work in the lab with _you_ ,” Bruce replies with a smirk, his eyes still closed.

 

Skye glances at Bruce in amusement. “Opera? I wouldn’t have called that.”

 

“I find it comforting,” Bruce replies. “It’s beautiful.”

 

Skye’s expression softens. “Yeah, I get that. Sometimes you want to be reminded that there are beautiful things in the world.”

 

Bruce just smiles.

 

Tony still doesn’t see what the big deal is with opera, and he’s certainly not going to be listening to it any time soon, but he gets what they’re saying. Tony likes to know there’s beauty in the world too, it’s just that he finds it in different places.

 

He can sleep standing up in the suit, and he catches a quick nap, waking up when Clint announces their descent. Steve stands up and pulls his cowl over his face, settling his shield on his back, checking his other weapons.

 

Skye takes her cue from him, and she takes her ear buds out and starts to check her own weapons. She’s dressed all in black, although Tony hasn’t had time to get a uniform like what Clint and Natasha wear.

 

Bruce takes his headphones off, rubbing his hands on the legs of his chinos. Even if there’s not much chance of a Code Green, Bruce always gets nervous before a fight.

 

Mostly because Bruce and Steve tend to serve as medics if one of the team gets hurt, even when he doesn’t have to transform, and he really hates violence, even if it’s necessary.

 

The Quinjet lands, and Clint and Natasha come back and start strapping on their own weapons. Tony meets Bruce’s eyes and nods. “See you on the flipside, Big Guy.”

 

“Be safe,” Bruce replies. He looks at Skye. “You, too.”

 

“Will do,” she says with a smile. “I’m a force of nature, remember?”

 

Bruce’s smile is genuine. “That you are.”

 

“Natasha and Skye, you have a longer way to go, so get moving. We’ll follow in a few minutes,” Steve says.

 

“Let’s go,” Natasha says to Skye.

 

They take off at a jog, and Clint straps on his quiver. “That’s my cue. See you guys later.”

 

Another five minutes pass, and Steve heads to the hatch. “It’s going to take me about ten minutes to reach the front gate.”

 

Tony knows that means he has about eight minutes with Bruce. “I’ll be there.” Once Steve is out of earshot, Tony steps out of the suit. “Okay?”

 

“I’ll be fine, Tony,” Bruce replies. “Just—I know Natasha is good, and that you’ll be in different areas, but—”

 

Tony pulls him into a hug. “I’ll look after her as best I can, and Skye can look after herself. You know as well as I do that Natasha would never let her into the field if she thought Skye couldn’t hack it.”

 

“I know that,” Bruce says. “It’s just—you know.”

 

“I do know,” Tony replies. “She’s a good kid.” He kisses Bruce hard. “Love you.”

 

“Love you, too. Be careful, Tony.”

 

“I’ve got you to come home to,” Tony replies. “I have every reason in the world to come home safe.”

 

Bruce takes a step back. “Go. You know how Steve gets when you keep him hanging.”

 

“I’m gone,” Tony replies, and steps back into the suit. “I’ll see you later.”

 

“You’d better.”

 

Tony flies to meet Steve, homing in on Steve’s com. He lands next to Steve. “So, am I supposed to make a big splash?”

 

“That would make it easier for Natasha and Skye to get in through the back,” Steve replies. “Weren’t you paying attention during the briefing?”

 

“Do you know me?” Tony asks. “Also, how many of these bases have we cleared out by now?”

 

Steve actually rolls his eyes. “Yes, I know, Tony. Go, make an entrance.”

 

Since that’s one of the things that Tony does best, he heads off to do just that. There’s surprisingly little resistance at the front of the compound, just a few guards that Tony easily disposes of.

 

Steve runs up and looks around. “Where is everybody?”

 

“You think they knew we were coming?” Tony asks.

 

Steve frowns. “Let’s hope not. I’d hate to think we had a mole.”

 

“We don’t have a mole,” Natasha says in an undertone. “We’ve got plenty of action on this side. Our recon was wrong.”

 

“How bad?” Bruce asks. “Do you need me?”

 

“I think we’ve got it,” Natasha replies. “Hang on.”

 

Tony can just barely feel the tremors when he’s in his suit, but Steve puts a hand against the wall. “What was that?” he asks.

 

“Sorry, didn’t want the bad guys to get the warning, too,” Skye says.

 

Natasha says, “Set them up and knock them down.”

 

“Let’s clear the rest of the building,” Steve says.

 

In the end, they kill about half a dozen Hydra agents and capture ten others, not that any of them are willing to talk. It’s about par for the course for one of Hydra’s bases, but it isn’t anything special.

 

Bruce joins them when everything is clear, but there’s really nothing to see. The research facilities are minimal, and it looks like it’s more of a training facility than anything else.

 

Skye and Bruce are quickly deep in conversation, and Tony knows from past experience that Bruce is debriefing her. The fact that Skye looks excited, almost exultant, tells Tony everything he needs to know.

 

“She did well,” Natasha asserts, coming to stand next to Tony. “We were outnumbered, although I still think we would have managed to be successful in the end. Skye knocked them off their feet, though.”

 

“I take it that made things easier.”

 

“Considerably,” Natasha admits. “She’s good in the field.”

 

Tony flips up his faceplate. “High praise, coming from you.”

 

“May is one of the best SHIELD has,” Natasha replies. “She’d be my pick if I had an agent who needed to be trained.”

 

“What about you?”

 

“I don’t train people,” Natasha replies. “No time for it.”

 

Tony smiles. “Who has time these days, right?”

 

“Other than Bruce,” Natasha adds. “He did well with her. She has control and confidence.”

 

Tony nods. “I think Bruce wants to give her what he never had.”

 

Natasha looks thoughtful. “She’s going to be a real asset in the field.”

 

“Good thing we snagged her, then,” Tony replies.

 

 

No Code Green means that Bruce is in good shape when he joins the others at the compound. He’s most interested in seeing Skye, and how she did. He knows from the com chatter that she’d used her powers and to good effect.

 

Skye meets him at the entrance to the base. “I managed to take out six,” she says. “We didn’t expect a lot of resistance at the back, so it was just Natasha and me, but I did what you taught me and knocked them down.”

 

“That’s great,” Bruce says sincerely. “You did great, Skye.”

 

“It came pretty easily, thanks to you,” Skye replies.

 

Bruce shakes his head. “I just showed you what you’re capable of.”

 

“The student is only as good as her teacher,” Skye counters.

 

“I think you would have gotten there eventually,” Bruce says. “But let’s do a full inventory.”

 

It’s standard procedure when taking a Hydra base. They clone the computers, take stock of the research and any other information, and then question whatever prisoners they’ve managed to take, although they really haven’t found anybody willing to talk yet.

 

Hydra chooses its agents well, especially now that the Incentives Program has been shut down. These days, pretty much all the agents are either true believers or those who’ve decided that Hydra is the winning team, and want to wind up on the right side of history.

 

Skye hasn’t really been around for the aftermath before, so Bruce enlists her help securing the data, and getting things ready to go. Skye’s computer knowledge comes in handy, because she’s able to isolate the hard drives and clone them without Bruce’s assistance.

 

“We might be able to use this to track other Hydra bases and agents,” Skye says. “I won’t know for sure until I dig into the data, but I think it might be possible to trace Hydra’s activities.”

 

Bruce nods approvingly. “I’m sure Tony and Jarvis can help you as well.”

 

He can see Skye’s eagerness to help and to prove herself, and he wants to encourage her, but also keep her from burning out too early.

 

Skye nods. “It would be great to get to know Jarvis a little better.”

 

Much like Tony, Skye seems to have effortlessly accepted that Jarvis is as much a person as anybody else, even if he doesn’t have a physical body. Then again, Bruce feels similarly.

 

“Any word from Coulson?” Skye adds.

 

Bruce shakes his head. “No, sorry. I can try to make some inquiries when we get back.”

 

“I’d appreciate it,” Skye replies.

 

“Come on, let’s get going.” Bruce smiles. “You don’t want to miss the after party.”

 

“There’s an after party?” Skye asks.

 

Bruce shrugs. “Just wait. It’s not really my thing, but I’ve been assured that it’s not to be missed.”

 

Skye frowns. “You don’t like parties?”

 

“Tony and I aren’t out,” Bruce explains briefly. “So we tend to spend most of the time apart.”

 

Skye pats him on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back, Bruce. I’m new, you’re my teacher, no one’s going to think it’s weird if we’re hanging out.”

 

That takes some of the burden off of Bruce, and he smiles. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

 

The trip back to the Tower is uneventful, and Bruce joins Tony in the shower as he gets cleaned up. “Skye did well today.”

 

“She might reduce the number of Code Greens we have,” Tony says. “Not that I mind seeing the Hulk, but I know how much you hate it.”

 

“I hate to feel like I’m using her, though,” Bruce says. “She deserves better than that.”

 

Tony cups the back of Bruce’s neck with both hands. “Okay, I love that you’re worried about that, because it just proves that you’re not an asshole, but you said it yourself.”

 

Bruce raises his eyebrows. “What did I say?”

 

“This comes easier for Skye because it’s inherent to her nature,” Tony says. “And if that’s true, she _needs_ to use those talents.”

 

“Fair point,” Bruce admits and leans in for a kiss, wanting the physical reassurance before they have to pretend to only be friends. And not even that close, because they’ve both been reliably informed that they give themselves away when they get within six feet of each other.

 

Tony crowds him against the tile, jacking them both off together with the help of the water sluicing down on them from multiple showerheads. Bruce clutches Tony’s hip with one hand and threads a hand through his hair with the other, kissing him hard and deep.

 

It feels good, a moment of respite in their busy lives, when they often struggle to find a few moments, let alone an uninterrupted hour or two.

 

Bruce comes first, and he finishes Tony off, and then they rinse off together and get dressed. Tony puts on a suit, although he eschews a tie, and Bruce wears slacks and a dress shirt.

 

Tony gives him a hard kiss before they leave their room. “See you later.”

 

“You will,” Bruce promises.

 

Skye is as good as her word, because she’s waiting for Bruce as he enters the large common room. She’s wearing a dark red dress that hugs her figure and almost makes her skin glow. “Hey, thanks for the dress.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Tony replies. “I thought that might look good on you, and I was totally right.”

 

Skye rolls her eyes. “Way to make my hotness all about you.”

 

“He’s good at that,” Bruce says dryly, offering his arm. “Shall we?”

 

“We shall,” Skye says, and tucks her arm through his. To the average onlooker, Bruce thinks it probably appears as though he’s escorting his niece.

 

“Can I get you a drink?” Bruce asks.

 

“Yes,” Skye says fervently, but then adds, “That’s okay, right? I mean…” She trails off.

 

Bruce raises his eyebrows. “Let me guess. You did a little digging.”

 

“Technically, I dug into all of the Avengers’ backgrounds long before SHIELD recruited me,” Skye admits. “I mean, you’re all kind of a big deal.”

 

Bruce snorts. “You and Tony. To answer your question, no, it doesn’t bother me to watch others drink, and I have no problem imbibing myself. I’m less thrilled with drunks, but I realize that my father would have been a violent asshole whether he drank or not.”

 

“I can promise that I am not a violent asshole,” Skye replies. “Although I don’t really want to find out what my control is like while drunk, so I think I’ll stick to a beer or two.”

 

“It’s not a bad idea to find out what you’re like under the influence,” Bruce says. “Just in case you’re ever in that situation through circumstances not of your choosing. But maybe we should wait to find out.”

 

“Yeah, that seems like a ‘cabin in the woods’ sort of test,” Skye replies.

 

Bruce orders a beer for both of them and leans back against the bar to wait.

 

“Who are all these people?” Skye asks, leaning next to him and studying the room.

 

“A variety of people,” Bruce admits. “Tony likes to keep things interesting, so he’ll invite veterans’ groups from World War II for Steve, or a bunch of Russians he knows for Natasha, that sort of thing.”

 

“That doesn’t annoy them?” Skye asks.

 

Bruce shrugs. “If it does, they haven’t told me, but I think Steve likes to play ‘remember when’ sometimes, and Natasha enjoys speaking her native tongue.”

 

“What about you?” Skye asks.

 

Bruce shrugs. “There aren’t a lot of people Tony could invite for my benefit.”

 

“And Clint and Thor?” Skye asks.

 

Bruce shrugs. “Same problem, different reason.”

 

Thor is alien enough not to have a lot in common with the people who show up to these parties, and Clint, for all his gregariousness in other situations, tends to isolate himself during parties.

 

In fact, Bruce catches sight of him in a far corner of the room, talking on the phone. “Come on. Let’s see if Clint’s interested in company.”

 

“Hey, doc,” Clint says, putting his phone away as they approach. “Good work today, Skye.”

 

She blushes. “Thanks.”

 

Bruce suspects Clint’s compliment holds an ulterior motive, as it’s neatly derailed any questions they might have as to who he’s speaking to on the phone.

 

The longer Bruce is around him, the more certain he is that Clint is hiding a secret, not that he’s about to say anything.

 

Bruce knows the value of a secret, and if Clint is cautious, it’s probably because he has reason. He won’t jeopardize that.

 

Clint makes a face. “I really don’t know anybody here,” he complains.

 

“So, hang out with us,” Bruce invites. “Skye’s promised to keep me company.”

 

Clint grins. “What? So you and Natasha don’t have to flirt awkwardly?”

 

“Natasha isn’t awkward, I am,” Bruce replies good-naturedly. “You can ask anybody. I’m terrible.”

 

Clint chuckles. “I’ve seen you in action, doc. I don’t have to ask anyone.”

 

“You can’t be that bad,” Skye protests.

 

“That’s sweet of you, but he really is,” Clint replies. “Although if we ever need to send someone in who is oblivious to flirtation, Banner is your man. I’m pretty sure Tony actually hit him over the head and dragged him back to the bedroom.”

 

“No, he seduced me with science,” Bruce counters. “But the rest of it is true.”

 

“Not to step in it or anything, but why are you guys flying under the radar?” Skye asks.

 

Bruce glances around to be sure no one is in earshot, but the loud music makes it difficult for people to listen in on their conversation. “Because it would be a little too easy for people to use me against Tony or vice versa.”

 

“Tony’s uniquely susceptible,” Clint adds. “He has a higher profile than most of us, other than Steve, who has a reputation as a confirmed bachelor, since everybody knows he lost the love of his life. Thor’s girlfriend has constant protection, so she’s plenty safe. And Ms. Potts has great security, so it’s easier to let people believe she and Tony are still together.”

 

“And it gives the Army less ammunition,” Bruce admits. “There are still plenty of people who would like to see me, or the Hulk, in government custody. The easiest way to make that happen would be to go after Tony.”

 

“Does that make me a liability?” Skye asks.

 

Bruce smiles. “Why? Because I’m fond of you?”

 

Skye shrugs.

 

“Banner doesn’t exactly wear his heart on his sleeve,” Clint says. “To the rest of the world, you’re just a trainee.”

 

“Not just anybody gets into these parties, even if it might look like it,” Bruce adds. “And you’re new, and I’m your mentor, so they’ll expect us to stick together.”

 

“Plus, you’re keeping me company,” Clint adds. “For which I thank you.”

 

Skye glances around the room. “Well, I can see why you’d find it a little overwhelming.”

 

“Brat,” Clint complains good-naturedly.

 

“I’m going to grab a couple more drinks,” Bruce says. “Skye?”

 

“Beer, if it’s not too much trouble,” she replies.

 

Clint grins. “Same.”

 

“Be right back,” Bruce promises.

 

He glances back to see Clint and Skye’s heads together, talking quietly, and he nods. Bruce had suspected that Skye would do well with Clint. He’s down-to-earth, and with a background not entirely dissimilar from hers.

 

“Two beers and a tonic water with lime,” Bruce orders at the bar.

 

The party is fairly small, as such things go, and Bruce doesn’t have to wait long for their drinks. He grabs the two longnecks with one hand and his drink with the other.

 

“Thanks, Bruce,” Skye says when he hands one to her. Clint and Skye go back to their conversation, and Bruce realizes that they’re comparing group homes.

 

More specifically, they’re comparing the weirdest people in the group homes.

 

“There was one kid in the orphanage who had an imaginary friend, and he would _only_ talk to him,” Skye is saying. “He’d have whole conversations with him, and wouldn’t speak to any of the teachers or nuns directly. Drove them nuts.”

 

Bruce hands them their beers and sits down to listen to their conversation.

 

“Was he crazy, or was there a method to his madness?” Clint asks with a smile.

 

Skye grins. “You mean, did he do it just to drive the grownups insane? I never could tell, but if it was an act, it was a good one.”

 

“There was a kid in our group home who insisted that he was an alien,” Clint offers. “He claimed that it was only a matter of time before his parents returned for him.”

 

“Was he an alien?” Skye asks. “Because I’d believe just about anything at this point.”

 

Clint shrugs. “Could have been. I swear he glowed sometimes at night.”

 

“Liar,” Skye says.

 

“Hey, you said you would believe just about anything,” Clint replies with a twinkle in his eye.

 

Skye frowns. “So, you’re being serious.”

 

“What do you think?” Clint counters.

 

Skye looks to Bruce, who shrugs. “Don’t look at me. Clint has the reputation of being something of a troll.”

 

“Hey!” Clint protests. “Just because I have a sense of humor…”

 

Bruce and Skye share a grin. “There’s a difference between having a sense of humor and being a troll, and the two are not mutually exclusive,” Bruce says.

 

“Okay, I can’t swear that he glowed,” Clint admits. “But one of his roommates swore up and down he did—right before he disappeared.”

 

Skye frowns at him. “Now I know you’re fucking with me.”

 

Clint shrugs. “That’s for me to know and you to guess.”

 

“Bruce is right,” Skye announces. “You _are_ a troll.”

 

“Hey, I haven’t even tried out any of my circus stories on you yet,” Clint protests.

 

Skye gives him a wary look. “Circus stories?”

 

“I was in the circus,” Clint says. “It’s where I learned to shoot a bow and arrow.”

 

Skye glances at Bruce, and he nods. “I can attest to that much at least.”

 

“How did you wind up in the circus?” Skye asks.

 

Clint grins. “Okay, I promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, because this story doesn’t need embellishing.”

 

Bruce leans back against the couch, beginning to think that this is one party he might just enjoy, if for no other reason than getting to know his teammates a little better.

 

 

The party is kind of crazy, mostly because there are Avengers, including Thor, at least halfway through the evening. Skye doesn’t mind hanging with Clint and Bruce, who seem to have similar backgrounds. Bruce has daddy issues up the wazoo, which Skye can certainly relate to on a number of levels. Clint knows what it’s like to be in the system, and that’s not really something Skye talks about, at least not with anybody who hasn’t been in her shoes.

 

Bruce may not have been in the system long, but she learns that he had spent a couple of days in an emergency placement before his aunt had come for him.

 

It’s not quite the same, but Skye feels like they understand her the way her SHIELD team hadn’t. She loves them all, but the little Skye knows about their families suggests that most of them had relatively normal backgrounds.

 

She could be wrong but that’s what she’s picked up.

 

Granted, Skye knows that Coulson’s father had died when he was fairly young and it was a pivotal moment for him, and maybe Jemma and Fitz’s parents aren’t entirely sure what they’re doing, or how much danger they’re in, but that’s about it. (She doesn’t count Ward, for a variety of reasons.)

 

Among the Avengers, Skye’s story isn’t all that unusual.

 

Captain America is a man out of time, the Black Widow is an assassin who was bred for the business; Hawkeye is an orphan with circus training who’d joined the Army; Thor is an alien god, and Bruce is the product of a science experiment gone wrong. And Tony is Tony, billionaire, genius, and philanthropist, who doesn’t want anybody to know that he’s no longer a playboy.

 

Skye can cause earthquakes and handle a sniper rifle.

 

She catches sight of a couple of movie stars, and a famous singer or two, although she doesn’t try to talk to them. She mostly just hangs out with Bruce and Clint, and notices that a lot of the partygoers give them a wide berth.

 

She wonders if that’s because of Bruce, and if it’s one of the reasons he doesn’t like parties. Skye doesn’t mind that people are avoiding them, though; it’s the only thing that keeps the gathering from being completely overwhelming.

 

Around midnight, the guests begin to fade out, leaving only the Avengers and Skye.

 

She hasn’t met Thor formally, and he shakes her hand, his huge hand dwarfing hers. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Skye.”

 

“Um, likewise,” she replies, overwhelmed. He’s _huge_ , and even hotter in person, which she hadn’t thought possible. Up close and personal, Skye can believe the god-thing.

 

“I’ve heard you are quite talented,” Thor says.

 

Skye glances at Bruce, who looks way too amused, the bastard. “Thanks?”

 

Thor smiles. “Welcome.”

 

Skye decides that she should probably just quit talking while she’s ahead, and so she just smiles.

 

Everybody is kind of dressed up. Even Bruce, who tends to look rumpled at the best of times, is wearing a dress shirt and slacks and looks presentable. Now that the rest of the guests are gone, though, Natasha sits next to Clint, and leans into his shoulder.

 

Tony sits next to Bruce, pressed close, as though to make up for the lost time caused by the party. Bruce leans into him slightly, sipping on another beer.

 

Skye isn’t drunk—she certainly doesn’t want to get stupid in front of the Avengers—but she’s on her third beer and is feeling pretty mellow.

 

“The next base is the one with the artifact,” Thor rumbles.

 

Tony nods. “We’re aware. It’s going to require a full frontal attack, and probably another team to sneak in. I’d prefer to go cautiously on this one.”

 

“You? Cautious?” Clint teases.

 

“Fury’s dug up some rumors,” Tony says. “They’ve got a couple of enhanced people on the payroll.”

 

Skye perks up. “What kind of enhancements?”

 

“Scuttlebutt says that one’s fast, and one’s weird, but we don’t know much more than that,” Clint says, serious now.

 

Skye can guess what “fast” means, but “weird?” Just about any enhancement could probably be put in that class. “Where did you get the information?”

 

“Fury’s people,” Natasha replies.

 

Skye isn’t entirely sure that she trusts Fury with enhanced people, but if they’re working for Hydra willingly, she’s not sure she cares.

 

The discussion is desultory, mostly talking about possibilities, and what they might do after they’ve wrapped things up with this next base. The true planning session won’t occur until the next day, when everybody is sober and ready to get down to business.

 

After an hour of winding down, the others leave, and Skye follows Tony and Bruce back towards the living quarters. “Good night, Skye,” Bruce says gently.

 

“’night,” Skye replies, thinking about making a Waltons reference.

 

“Good night, John Boy,” Tony says with a smirk.

 

Skye snorts. “Yeah, okay, Papa Stark.”

 

“Bed, Tony,” Bruce orders, but he’s got a grin on his face.

 

Tony looks over his shoulder and mouths, “Thank you.”

 

Skye ducks into her very comfortable room and quickly changes into her pajamas before sliding into bed. She stares up at the ceiling and wonders where her team is, and if they’re okay, and what the Avengers are going to do with SHIELD.

 

She wonders where she’ll wind up, and whether she’ll be included on the next mission. She thinks Bruce and Tony will probably argue for her inclusion, and Clint and Natasha might as well. Skye doesn’t know about Captain America; she’s not sure he trusts her or her use of her powers, although she’s not sure why.

 

“Jarvis, is there any word from Director Coulson?” Skye asks in the darkness.

 

“Not yet,” Jarvis replies. “I will be sure to alert you if there’s any communications from him.”

 

“Thanks,” Skye says. She hesitates and then asks, “Is it possible for you to play some music for an hour or so until I go to sleep?”

 

“Of course, Miss Skye,” Jarvis replies. “It would be my pleasure.”

 

And Skye drifts off to the sounds of something classical, light and airy, wondering what the future might hold.

 

 

Tony glances up as Bruce enters the conference room. “No word from Coulson?”

 

“No,” Bruce replies. “And I have Skye looking through the information we gleaned from the Hydra base. I figured it was a good distraction for her.”

 

“While we decide her fate?” Tony asks.

 

Bruce hitches a shoulder. “Or at least whether she’s going on this mission with us. Ultimately, Skye’s fate will be in her hands.”

 

Steve enters the conference room next, followed closely by Natasha, Clint, and Maria Hill. Thor is the last to arrive, looking thunderous. Tony suspects he would have preferred to hit Sokovia as soon as he’d arrived back on Earth.

 

“Sorry, Thor,” Steve says, catching sight of his expression. “But this is going to be a major offensive, and we need a plan.”

 

Bruce clears his throat. “We need to talk about whether Skye is going to figure into those plans, because if so, she should probably be here.”

 

Steve is already shaking his head. “No, no way.”

 

“She did fine in Canada!” Tony protests. “Natasha saw her in action.”

 

Natasha shrugs. “She showed good control, and she’s well trained. Plus, having her there may mean not having to call a Code Green.”

 

Steve is still shaking his head. “We can’t risk it.”

 

“What is it with you and enhanced people?” Tony finally demands. “In case you haven’t noticed, _you’re_ enhanced, and so is Bruce. So is Thor, for that matter.”

 

Steve takes a deep breath. “It’s different.”

 

“Enlighten me,” Tony challenges sarcastically.

 

Steve glances at Natasha and Clint, and says, “SHIELD has been tracking people with special powers for a long time now, and a lot of them go bad. I was on a couple of those missions, and I watched good men and women get killed.”

 

“Steve,” Bruce says gently. “Skye’s been on those missions, too. She’s a SHIELD agent.”

 

“But we don’t know what effect that mist is going to have on her long term!” Steve protests. “That’s what SHIELD was trying to find out, and I don’t think they were wrong to track those folks and register them. They’re a threat.”

 

“I’m a threat,” Bruce says mildly. “The Other Guy poses a huge threat.”

 

Steve shoots him a disgruntled look. “Yeah, and we know about you.”

 

“We know about Skye, too,” Clint points out. “Look, if the issue is just about Skye coming on this mission, I’m going to vote yes, because we could use the firepower. If we’re talking about the registry, let’s shelve it for later. We all know about Skye, and we know what she can do. Putting her on some list isn’t going to change that.”

 

“Besides, far better she be somewhere we can keep an eye on her if there’s truly a concern about her going bad,” Natasha says reasonably.

 

Tony can tell that Bruce wants to protest that it won’t happen, but he doesn’t say anything. To be fair, there’s probably a legitimate concern that Bruce is biased in Skye’s favor, and the truth is that Skye _could be_ a real threat—or a tremendous asset.

 

How the Avengers are going to deal with people like her is a discussion they’ll have to have eventually, but now really isn’t the time.

 

“You vouch for her?” Thor asks, looking at Bruce.

 

Bruce nods. “Yeah, I do. She’s a good kid, and she wants to do the right thing.”

 

“I agree,” Tony says.

 

All eyes go to Steve, and he sighs. “Natasha is right. If she’s going to go rogue, it had probably better be where we can keep an eye on her. And we do need the extra firepower on this mission. She’s in, but only on a trial basis, and not necessarily on every mission.”

 

“We won’t need her on every mission,” Tony points out. “Besides, we can find plenty for her to do around here. Jarvis, let Skye know she’s needed in the conference room.”

 

His hand finds Bruce’s under the table, and Bruce interlaces their fingers. The touch is reassuring, and not something they can often indulge in while outside the privacy of their rooms or labs.

 

Skye appears a few moments later, looking a little freaked out, her eyes wide but mouth set in a grim line. “Jarvis said you wanted to see me.”

 

There’s a pause as everybody seems to be debating who should tell her the news, and then Steve nods at Bruce to go ahead.

 

“We need you on this mission,” Bruce says quietly. “It’s probably going to involve some heavy fighting, so if you don’t feel ready, or you don’t want to come—”

 

“No, I do,” Skye says quickly, cutting him off. “I want to help shut down Hydra. This base is important, right?”

 

“Strategically, yes,” Steve replies. “And they’re holding an artifact there that shouldn’t stay in Hydra’s possession.”

 

Skye nods. “Then I want to go—if you think I can help.”

 

Steve can set aside his own opinion to be kind on occasion, and he says, “We’re happy to have you on board, Skye. Now, if you’d like to take a seat, we’ll start planning.”

 

Skye sits down in an empty seat next to Bruce, and Tony hears her whisper, “What did you have to tell him to get him to agree?”

 

“The truth,” Bruce whispers back. “That your assistance would be valuable. Everybody agreed with me.”

 

“Benefits of superior logic and intelligence,” Tony mutters, just loud enough for those closest to him to hear.

 

Steve clears his throat. “ _If_ you’re all finished…”

 

Tony waves a hand carelessly. “Carry on.”

 

Steve frowns, but out of the corner of Tony’s eye, he can see that Bruce and Skye wear identical smirks.

 

Tony leans back in his chair and focuses on the task at hand. He suspects that having Skye along is just going to make things a little more interesting.

 

 

Bruce really has no idea what he’s doing here, or why he has to be at any of the strategy sessions. If there is a Code Green called, Steve will tell Bruce where he’s needed, and Bruce will show up and transform.

 

He doesn’t mind being here, especially since he’s curious as to where and how they’ll use Skye.

 

“We’re friendly enough with the Sokovian government for them to let us head up this mission without interference,” Steve says. “Strucker holds a high-ranking position within Hydra, and we know he’s been doing research on enhanced persons.”

 

“With or without their cooperation?” Skye asks.

 

Steve hesitates. “We’re fairly certain it’s with.”

 

“All of our recon indicates they’re not being held against their will,” Clint offers.

 

“What are you thinking?” Bruce asks.

 

Skye leans forward. “What do we know about their abilities, other than one is fast and one is weird?”

 

“That’s about it,” Steve replies.

 

Skye nods and leans back. “Since we don’t know what ‘weird’ means, it’s probably better not to let them get too close. The last weird enhanced person I ran into looked like Sonic the Hedgehog and could kill people with her spiny things.”

 

Steve winces. “Okay, everybody, try not to let them get too close. Now, the castle is heavily fortified and guarded, so we’ll need to approach from multiple vectors.”

 

When Steve is finished outlining the defenses and the kind of resistance they’re likely to encounter, they start talking about who needs to be where.

 

“How far away can you be for your powers still to work?” Steve asks.

 

Skye hesitates. “I still have to see what I’m trying to affect.”

 

“And how are you with a sniper rifle?” Steve asks.

 

“Pretty good,” Skye admits. “May trained me.”

 

Steve nods. “Then I’m putting you and Clint up high to respond to imminent threats and take out anybody trying to escape.”

 

Bruce thinks Steve’s probably hedging his bets. They don’t really need another sniper, although there’s enough ground to cover that Skye could prove very useful.

 

There are a few teams that Hill has put together who will be assisting them in taking the fortress, and Bruce listens to the rest of the briefing. He makes a mental note as to where everybody is going to be in case he needs that information during the assault.

 

“Okay, I think that’s everything, folks,” Steve says. “We leave at 0400 hours, so make sure you’re geared up and ready to go. We won’t wait for stragglers.”

 

Skye winces, but she waits until they’re out of the conference room and back in the lab before she asks, “Was that for my benefit?”

 

“No, it was aimed at me,” Tony replies cheerfully. “I’m well known for being late, although Steve fails to realize that I haven’t been late once for something important.”

 

Bruce shakes his head. “You’re late for briefings all the time.”

 

“Not when I’m with you,” he counters. “And also, _important_ things. Tomorrow is important. I say we eat pizza and don’t bother inviting the others.”

 

Skye smiles. “I don’t know. I like Clint.”

 

“I like him, too,” Bruce replies. “But he always disappears the night before a big mission, so I wouldn’t expect him to join us anyway.”

 

Tony glances at him. “You noticed that?”

 

Bruce shrugs. “I notice patterns, because noticing can save your life.”

 

“Hazards of being on the run?” Skye asks.

 

“Pretty much,” Bruce agrees. “I like the idea of pizza, though.”

 

Tony gives him his best pleading face. “But just us, right? I don’t think I want to deal with Steve again today.”

 

Bruce raises his eyebrows. “Pretty sure Steve would say the same thing about you.”

 

“Do you really want to have that argument again today?” Tony demands.

 

“What argument?” Skye asks. “Does it have something to do with me?”

 

Bruce hesitates. “Indirectly. It has to do with the Registry, and whether we should keep it.”

 

“And you don’t think SHIELD should,” Skye says flatly.

 

Bruce blinks. “And you do?”

 

Skye shoves her hair out of her face. “Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t really like the idea that someone’s going to put my name on a list and keep track of me, but I’ve been on a threat list since I was 18.”

 

“Hacker?” Tony guesses.

 

“Got it in one,” Skye replies. “I get why people wouldn’t want their names on a registry, and that it feels like an invasion of privacy, but I can see things from SHIELD’s point of view, too.”

 

“The problem isn’t going to be solved today,” Bruce says. “And it’s a moot point for the moment.”

 

Skye hesitates. “Why are we leaving at 0400?”

 

“It’s a 10-hour flight, and they’re about that far ahead,” Tony explains. “That puts us in a position to hit at first light.”

 

“So, it’s probably a good idea to make it an early night,” Bruce says. “Which means we should order the pizza now.”

 

Skye glances at Bruce. “Thanks for going up to bat for me today.”

 

“Thank me when you make it through this unscathed,” Bruce replies. “But it wasn’t just me.”

 

Skye bumps Bruce’s shoulder with hers. “Hey, with a Yoda like you, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

 

Bruce really hopes so, knowing that this is going to be a true test of Skye’s skills.

 

 

Skye would probably have felt a lot more out of place if Bruce and Tony weren’t also out of uniform. The Quinjet has just landed outside Strucker’s stronghold, and they’re waiting for the signal from Steve to get into place.

 

Clint is settling his quiver on his back, over his really fucking awesome coat. Natasha is dressed in a uniform similar to Clint’s, and she’s checking her weapons. Steve pulls his cowl up and settles his shield on his back.

 

Skye glances over at Tony and Bruce, who are holding a whispered conversation, their foreheads pressed together. The Iron Man armor is standing empty next to them, waiting for Tony to step inside.

 

She glances down, and she’s wearing all black, but it’s not exactly a uniform. Natasha had come up with holsters for her, and Skye checks to make sure the straps are secure, and her guns are ready. From there, she checks her ammunition stores and grabs the sniper rifle, checking to be sure it’s loaded and ready.

 

The weight is familiar in her hands, and it’s pretty much just like the one she’d used with SHIELD.

 

“Skye, Clint, you’re up,” Steve announces. “Get into position.”

 

“Good luck,” Bruce calls, and he breaks away from Tony long enough to give her a quick hug. “Be careful.”

 

“Careful as I can be,” Skye replies, and follows Clint out into the lightening darkness.

 

Their paths are the same for the first two clicks, and then Clint pats her on the shoulder and offers a thumbs up when it’s time to split ways.

 

Skye’s position is on a hill with a clear view of the front of the fortress, which means she’ll be able to see Tony and Thor’s assault, with Clint at the back to cover Natasha and Steve.

 

She remembers that first training session with Bruce, when he’d told her what it felt like to remain rock solid, and she finds that place now. Skye braces the rifle against her shoulder and waits. Skye is under strict orders to hold her position unless absolutely necessary.

 

It becomes all too obvious that the frontal assault is not going well, and that Hydra has serious defenses that aren’t allowing either Tony or Thor through.

 

Skye picks off a couple of Hydra goons, and then starts looking around for the source of the shield. “Anybody got a visual on what’s preventing Iron Man and Thor from getting through?”

 

“I do, but it’s not letting me get through,” Tony says, sounding frustrated. “North quadrant.”

 

Skye can just see the north quadrant from her location, and she focuses on it. The fortress is built into the bedrock, and it’s a little harder to vibrate, but she finds the right frequency and pushes. She feels the tremor from where she’s sitting and grins.

 

“Shield is down!” Tony crows. “Well done, Skye.”

 

Hydra agents begin pouring out of the fortress, and Skye grimaces when one of them spots her. “Uh, oh,” Skye says. “I’ve been made.”

 

“Hold your position!” Steve orders. “Do what you can to prevent any escapes!”

 

Tony swears on the coms, and Steve says, “Language!”

 

Skye rolls her eyes and checks her own urge to swear a blue streak as a Hydra agent begins to fire on her. She ducks behind a tree and pulls her pistol for more accuracy, and then she starts to fire.

 

“There’s more of them than we thought,” Natasha says grimly.

 

Skye really wishes she could just collapse the entire fortress with a really big earthquake, but Thor and Tony had been insistent. The artifact has to be recovered, and they can’t risk it being destroyed, or buried in the rubble.

 

Skye grits her teeth and slams a bare palm against the ground. She can at least take care of the Hydra agents converging on her position.

 

She’s seated and braced for it, but the Hydra goons aren’t, and they all lose their footing. Skye rolls from behind the cover of the tree and starts firing. That starts a trend where Skye waits for the Hydra agents to find her, try to kill her, and she knocks them down and takes them out.

 

She moves around a little bit to keep them guessing, and then she hears Natasha say, “We’ve got a Code Green! We need Hulk and Skye around back _now_.”

 

“Go!” Steve orders, but Skye is already running, listening to the commentary from Natasha and Clint to locate them. She hears a roar and catches sight of something big and green through the trees, and stumbles slightly when she gets a full view of the Hulk for the first time.

 

Skye knows better than to shoot at the Hulk, but she has no problem firing on the Hydra agents converging on their position.

 

She’s never been in this kind of sustained firefight, and it’s incredibly chaotic to have the Avengers’ voices in her ear, to be kind of fighting side-by-side with the Hulk, to try and keep track of the Hydra agents and stay alive.

 

At one point, she hears Hulk roar, and Skye senses someone behind her. She whirls, but not in time to stop the Hydra agent who has a gun aimed at her head. At least he does until a large, green hand squashes him.

 

“Thanks, Big Guy,” she says breathlessly.

 

Skye kind of follows the Hulk around after that, at least as best as she can when he’s not really thinking about her being able to keep up, or anything other than smashing things. Seeing the Hulk, and what he’s capable of, gives her a renewed appreciation for Bruce’s restraint and his control, and also explains why Coulson had thought Bruce might be able to help her.

 

The Hulk mostly ignores her, but he intervenes a couple of times to prevent her from being killed or injured, and Skye is grateful.

 

In truth, this particular fight is driving home that she’s in over her head, and no matter how good her team is—and they’re the best of SHIELD—they aren’t Avengers.

 

Skye sees Clint running with Hydra agents shooting at him. “Drop!” Skye yells.

 

Clint does just that, throwing himself down flat, and Skye kneels with both hands on the ground. The tremor shakes the trees and causes a couple of boulders to jump, and the Hydra agents go down.

 

Clint’s already up on a knee in a firing position, and Skye pulls her pistol and takes out the two Clint doesn’t. Clint waves his thanks, and Skye scrambles to catch up to the Hulk, thinking that’s where the action is.

 

One minute, she’s still dodging bad guys and bullets, and the next, the battle seems to be winding down. Skye looks around for someone else to shoot and doesn’t see anybody.

 

“Who has eyes on Bruce?” Tony asks. “I’ve got the artifact.”

 

“I’ve got him,” Skye says. “Although he seems to be wandering off.”

 

“Follow him,” Tony orders. “He’s disoriented when he comes back.”

 

“I’ll meet you with a set of clothes and a blanket,” Natasha says.

 

Skye shrugs and jogs after the Hulk, watching as he finally stumbles to a halt, falling to his knees. She comes closer cautiously, hunkering down next to the Hulk, who’s grunting in pain. “Hey, I’m here,” Skye says, inching closer.

 

The Hulk snorts.

 

“No, I am. You were pretty great out there. I think you saved my life like three times,” Skye offers. “That was really awesome.”

 

The Hulk collapses onto his side, and Skye watches, fascinated as the transformation reverses itself.

 

“Hey,” Skye says when it looks like Bruce is coming back around.

 

Bruce frowns at her. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Nice to see you, too,” Skye replies. “Thanks for saving my life a lot. Much appreciated.”

 

Bruce curls in on himself slightly. “You drew the short straw, huh?”

 

Skye frowns. “Um, no, you’re my Yoda, and the Hulk was where the action was at. Plus, you know, life saver.”

 

Bruce puts an arm over his face, and Skye scoots closer, putting her hand on Bruce’s arm. “Hey, us forces of nature have to stick together, right?”

 

Bruce looks at her. “It didn’t freak you out?”

 

Skye smiles. “Maybe a little right at first, but then you swatted the Hydra agent who was going to kill me, so I got pretty fond of the Big Green Guy real fast.”

 

Bruce sits up slowly, staying curled up. His clothing is in tatters, and Skye sees more of Bruce than she ever really wanted to, but she sits next to him, letting their shoulders brush companionably. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Bruce finally says.

 

Skye smiles. She’s in over her head, she misses her team, and she’s pretty sure that Rogers isn’t going to trust her anytime soon, but right now, the good still outweighs the bad. “I really am,” she replies, and leans into him just a bit in wordless thanks.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art for enigmaticblue's Force of Nature](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5010262) by [taibhrigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taibhrigh/pseuds/taibhrigh)




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